Blind Faith
by fyd818
Summary: When Uchiha Sasuke needs a special kind of healing only one unfriendly clan can provide, can he trust them with his future? :Sasuke x Hinata:
1. Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_, nor any places, things, characters, or ideas therein. The aforementioned belong to Masashi Kishimoto, Viz Media, TV Tokyo, Shounen Jump, etc. I am writing this fic for entertainment purposes _only_, not monetary gain.

Summary: When Uchiha Sasuke needs a special kind of healing only one unfriendly clan can provide, can he trust them with his future? :Sasuke x Hinata:

Rating: T

Warnings: Violence, kissing

Pairing(s): Sasuke/Hinata, light Neji/Tenten

Spoilers: None

**Dedication:** To _Mama Jo_, my mother, my friend, my fellow writer, and my beta - thank you for everything. I hope you have an absolutely awesome Mother's Day!

**Author's Note:** I wrote the first chapter of this fic almost a year ago, but the idea scared me, so I just quit. But then Mother's Day approached, and I asked my mom (a fellow _Naruto_ fan) what she wanted me to write her for the occasion. She recalled this idea and told me to finish it. So here I am with _Blind Faith_. It's quite a bit darker than my previous work,_ Coffee Connections_, but I love it in its own way. It's a semi-canonical AU where Sasuke never left the village with the Sound Ninja Four. There will be no Fourth Ninja War in this story. Thank you very much for checking out my story, and I hope you enjoy this first chapter!

* * *

***~Blind Faith~***

_.:fyd818:._

* * *

***~Chapter I~***

_~Darkness~_

* * *

The darkness clawed at his defenses; ate away at his sanity; brought him to the very edge of breaking and left him lying there, vulnerable and alone.

Uchiha Sasuke's hands locked into strangling fists around the rough fabric under his hands. The scratchy blanket, astringent smells, and sound of many voices speaking quietly outside the confining walls of his room told him he was in the hospital. He vaguely remembered someone telling him so the last time he'd been awake - albeit briefly, thanks to the sharp needle prick in his arm and the sedative which had sucked away his awareness.

A nurse later told him he'd been irrational, violent. The latter, he could understand. But he was never irrational. He felt insulted someone had even dared think such a thing of him.

At least the restraints were gone. Lady Tsunade's voice still rang in his ears, informing him the restraints, the ghostly remnants of which he could still feel around his wrists, were to keep him from clawing at the bandages around his eyes. They _had_ to stay in place, she told him, until she was certain the touch of light and air could do no more damage to his eyes.

Sasuke ground his teeth. He was a _doujutsu_ user: which meant he heavily relied upon his Sharingan for nearly every move he made in the field. Without his eyes, he was worse than useless - as a ninja, as a hopeful avenger, as an Uchiha. However Lady Tsunade seemed reasonably certain he would eventually be able to see again, especially since she said she was "exploring" an option that might help rehabilitate his Sharingan and the badly damaged chakra paths leading to them.

But the mere fact the best healer in the five great nations - and beyond - even _had_ to go exploring was bad news. If she couldn't automatically put into practice a piece of her nearly infinite medical knowledge, the chances of his actually being able to see again - let alone use his Sharingan - were minimal at best. He wasn't stupid. He'd heard the uncertainty in Lady Tsunade's voice, even as she'd spoken words he was sure were meant to be reassuring.

He wished she'd just been up-front with him from the beginning. It would have made the already bitter knowledge at least a little easier to swallow.

His heightened hearing, working overtime to compensate for his loss of sight, detected a familiar set of footsteps coming toward the door. He waited until he heard the shouji panel slide open, then calmly turned his face in that direction. No matter what, he wasn't going to let anyone see how weak he really felt. He wasn't going to show _anyone_ how lost and alone he felt in this all-consuming darkness.

"Good news." Lady Tsunade's voice sounded brighter than the last time she'd visited, though Sasuke refused to let his hopes perk up at the sound. Better to expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised than the other way around. "You're being released from the hospital tomorrow."

Sasuke remained silent, waiting for the inevitable other shoe to drop - painfully - on his head.

"Since it's not really a good idea for you to be alone right now, Naruto-"

_And there it is._ "No."

The deafening silence coming from the leader of Konoha made it clear she did not appreciate being interrupted. "Excuse me?" she asked, tone deliberate. The words sounded as though they'd been chipped from ice, and the temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

He remained unfazed. "I'll stay by myself. I've lived on my own for many years now. I can take care of myself." And the last thing he needed was Naruto hanging around every moment of the day and night, pestering him. Viewing him as weak. Doing things Sasuke was still perfectly capable of doing on his own. "As long as I return to my flat, I'll be fine."

"I see." A rustle of clothing made Sasuke think the blonde had crossed her arms over her chest. "While I appreciate your fortitude, it is not safe for you to be by yourself."

_I am _not_ weak._ He locked his jaw against the urge to hurl the words at her with the force of kunai. "I will be fine." He clipped the words out very precisely.

"While I'm sure you will be, I'm afraid being alone is not an option for you right now." The heels of her sandals clicked closer, and he sensed her standing right next to him. "Since you've turned down your teammate's help, there are only two options left to you if you want to get out of this hospital room."

Sasuke allowed his silence to ask the question which he didn't dare to voice aloud.

"The first is to allow yourself to be checked into Konoha's rehabilitation center. There are individual apartments there, which will still allow you freedom without putting yourself in danger."

"And the other?" he asked, dismissing the first option immediately.

Tsunade sighed. "As I told you before, I've been looking into possibilities to help you regain the use of your eyesight, if not your Sharingan. This is truly a unique situation, so I've been hard-pressed to come up with _anything_ that will have even a prayer of working. But, if you're willing to try, there is one possibility."

Biting down on the urge to say "I'll do it!" without first hearing what it was, Sasuke calmly questioned, "What is it? And what are the chances of it being successful?"

"As to the chances, I'd say - if you cooperate - there's a ninety-percent chance you'll get full sight back, and an eighty-five percent chance you'll regain full use of your Sharingan."

Pretty good odds, if Sasuke didn't say so himself. "What are the down sides?" Because something like this _had_ to be too good to be true. That was just the way things worked for him.

"Relatively few in number. There's a two-percent chance it could make the damage to your eyes permanent. But as the person who will be performing this therapy upon you is an expert in her craft, the possibility is so remote I don't put any credence in it." Tsunade _did_ sound confident...

...But the _her_ caught Sasuke's attention, bringing his wariness back to full strength. "Who is this expert?" He _had_ to know that before he agreed or disagreed. It was that simple. He didn't want some simpering female fawning over him every hour of the day, even if she _did_ have the ability to help bring back his eyesight.

Lady Tsunade hesitated - again - before saying, "Hyuuga Hinata."

The hair on Sasuke's arms stood straight up in warning. He knew about the Hyuuga clan, with their secret techniques, and prestigious place in the village, and the eyes in the backs of their heads. The Hyuuga and the Uchiha had never really gotten along that well, so he wondered if this Hinata girl had volunteered for the job, or been ordered into it by Lady Tsunade. Either way, he had to wonder if she'd take advantage of the opportunity to do even _more_ damage to his eyes.

The blonde next to his bed was talking again. "She's successfully used this technique to heal other members of her clan. You should consider yourself flattered, Sasuke. You're the only non-Hyuuga on whom this technique has been - or, I suppose I should say will be - performed. This is the best chance you have of regaining your eyesight and Sharingan abilities."

There was little Sasuke hated more than being stuck between a rock and a hard place; and that was _exactly_ where he'd been planted at the moment. If Lady Tsunade said this was the best chance, it was. But dare he take the risk? "What does the therapy entail?" he asked begrudgingly.

"That I cannot tell you, simply because I don't know myself. The Hyuuga Healing Touch technique is a jealously guarded secret. The only reason why they agreed to use it on you is because you will not be _able_ to see what Hinata is doing." A rhythmic _click-click-click_ made Sasuke think she was impatiently tapping her foot. "So what say you?"

Blowing out his breath, Sasuke nodded his head once, curtly. "Fine." But only because it was his _only_ choice.

"I'll let Hinata know. She'll pick you up here tomorrow and then escort you home." Tsunade's shoes _clack-clack-clack_ed across the floor toward the door, then paused as she spoke one last thing. "She'll also be staying with you for the duration of your therapy, to assist you and render the treatment. We'll talk again tomorrow." And then she was gone, the door slamming shut behind her indicating her quick escape.

For a moment, Sasuke kept his head turned blindly in that direction, then let out a blistering curse.

And across the village, in her bedroom at her family's manor, Hyuuga Hinata sneezed explosively.

* * *

The nervous fluttering in her stomach made Hinata wonder if she'd made the right decision. When Lady Tsuande approached her about using her clan's special healing _jutsu_ on Uchiha Sasuke, she felt excited - and, selfishly, a little flattered as well - that her talents were being recognized.

But now, standing in front of the closed door to Sasuke's hospital room, she _really_ wondered if all those accolades were worth this stress. Though she knew Naruto counted Sasuke among his closest friends, the few times she'd encountered the Uchiha, she found him cold, remote, _just_ on the edge of being downright unfriendly. When he'd had call to address her, he had been polite, but she didn't really see him as being either verbose or even companionable.

Well, at least her tenure as his caretaker/therapist would be a quiet one. Perhaps the break would do her some good, particularly since Team Kurenai had been bombarded with missions lately, and time to herself - let alone _silence_ in general - had been at a premium.

_Well, I'm here now. There's no going back._ Drawing in a deep breath, long-used to the smells of the hospital from the many times she'd volunteered or spent time there herself, she pushed open the door and took a hesitant step inside.

Her eyes fell immediately on the empty, albeit rumpled, bed. Brow furrowing in confusion, Hinata looked around, half-relieved and half-disappointed to see Sasuke standing by the open window, leaning against the frame. The warm breeze fluttered the dark wings of hair framing his face, giving her brief glimpses of his frowning countenance. The white bandage wrapped around his head, over his eyes, looked all the more dramatic against his blue-black hair.

"It's about time you got here."

That was it. No word of greeting, no gratitude. Just what sounded like a _scolding_ for being late, even though she had arrived promptly at the time Lady Tsunade told her to come. "I..." Unable to find a response - appropriate or otherwise - Hinata weakly trailed off and closed her mouth. And _this_ man was to be her nearly constant companion for the forseeable future.

For another long moment, Sasuke stood still. At last, he pushed off the frame and turned toward her. With superficially confident strides, he crossed the three steps to the bed, right hand briefly tapping the surface of the mattress a couple of times before he caught the strap of his bag and picked it up. "You ready to go?"

_Home? Yes._ Swallowing back the response, Hinata bobbed her head in a nod before she remembered he couldn't see it. "If you are, yes."

Slinging the strap of the bag over his shoulder, Sasuke ran his hand along the edge of the bed as he walked toward her. "Let's get out of here."

Hinata felt a blush creep into her cheeks as she remembered Lady Tsunade's instructions. Since Sasuke couldn't see - and had refused the assistance of a cane - she would have to take his arm and lead him through the village to his home. Though she genuinely did want to be of assistance, she wasn't sure she wanted to go strolling through the village on - at least by appearances - Uchiha Sasuke's arm. After all, she hardly knew the man.

Swallowing back her anxiety, Hinata reached out and touched Sasuke's arm. Only the twitch of his tight jaw indicated his dislike, but she ignored the reaction and settled her hand in the crook of his elbow. "I won't let you run into anything," she promised.

"Hn." Sasuke's arm felt like stone beneath her hand. Every muscle beneath her touch seemed tense, letting her know how hard this was for him. Her companion had spent the majority of his life being self-sufficient. Having to depend upon someone else for something as simple as walking in a straight line obviously put him on edge.

She tried to think about how she'd feel in his situation as they left the hospital, emerging into the beautiful, warm summer day. Like Sasuke, her _kekkei genkai_ made her rely heavily upon her eyes. The thought of having the Byakugan taken away from her made her shudder.

They walked in silence for a few blocks, the tension stretching between them like a rubber band. Nervous, Hinata licked her dry lips and ventured, "The sun feels good and warm."

"Hn." Sasuke plodded along next to her, his longer stride shortened to match hers, the expression on what part of his face she could see indicating displeasure at the slow pace. "Midday, right?" he asked gruffly.

"Just past." Hinata guided Sasuke around a group of running, laughing children, her mind skipping ahead to when they reached his flat. "Did you have lunch in the hospital?"

"No."

_A man of few words._ Hinata mentally ran over the checklist of things she'd brought with her from the Hyuuga manor, thinking about what she had on hand which would be quick and easy to fix. "I'll put something together when we get to your apartment. Are there any foods you prefer?"

"I'm not hungry." Sasuke's arm twitched beneath her hand, as if he considered yanking it away.

Already Hinata could envision how things were going to be in the coming interminable days: She doing her best to be of help to him, and he doing everything in his power to make it difficult, even if it wasn't always consciously done. She recalled Lady Tsunade's warning that Sasuke was going to be a very difficult patient, but she hadn't thought he'd be _this_ difficult.

They turned the corner onto Sasuke's street, and Hinata let out a little breath of relief. She was glad Naruto's teammate had moved out of the ghostly remains of his family's district long ago; partly because it would be creepily silent there if it were just the two of them, and partly because they would have had a much longer walk to get that far. "We're on your street," she informed him, trying to inject some cheerfulness into her voice. "Just a little ways farther, and then we'll get to the staircase leading up to your flat."

"Oi! Sasuke, Hinata!"

Even as a shy smile curled up the corners of Hinata's mouth, a frown turned down the corners of Sasuke's. "What's Naruto doing here?" he growled.

Hinata's smile vanished. "He helped me bring my things over," she said. "And he wanted to b-be here to welcome you home." After all, he lived in the building right across the alley, so it wasn't that far a trek for the blond shinobi. And the two men were on Team Kakashi together - didn't it make sense that Naruto would want to welcome his friend and teammate home after time in the hospital?

Sasuke shrugged off her hand and grasped the railing as he started up the staircase. Feeling stung by the rejection - but somehow also relieved - Hinata quietly trailed behind him, gaze focused on each step so she wouldn't have to meet anyone's eyes.

"Go away, Naruto." Sasuke's shoulder impacted the blond's as he pushed past, hand extended so he wouldn't run into walls or the door.

Hinata saw disappointment briefly flare in her crush's eyes; just as quickly, it vanished behind Naruto's usual cheerful smile. "I imagine you're tired, so I'll come back later. I just wanted to welcome you back home, Sasuke. Feel better!" Naruto turned the full force of his grin on her as he started past her down the steps. "See you later, Hinata!" He offered a friendly wave, and then he was gone in a blur of orange and yellow.

To her surprise, Sasuke already had the door unlocked and open by the time she caught up with him. Timidly, she paused in the doorway as he continued on into the flat, his strides more confident since he was back in familiar territory. "Your flat is nice," she ventured.

"Hn." Sasuke's hand lifted and waved vaguely as he indicated doorways. "Kitchenette. Washroom. Facilities. Guest room. My room." He stopped in front of the last door, his face turning slowly in her direction. Even though his eyes were covered in bandages, she felt the chill of his gaze up her spine as he said, "Off-limits. Never come in here, understand?"

Hinata nodded fervently out of habit; remembered Sasuke couldn't see it and forced herself to speak. "I-I understand. I'll respect your privacy. I promise." She didn't have to ask to know he would respect hers, particularly since she knew he didn't even want her there in the first place. She had a feeling she'd spend most of her time being ignored.

"Good." Without another word, Sasuke opened the door to his room just far enough to slip through, then it slammed shut behind him.

Letting out her breath, Hinata finally ventured into the flat and shut the door behind herself. Sliding out of her shoes, she caught sight of the suitcase holding her things sitting in the corner, out of the walkway where it could easily be tripped over. She smiled at the sight, thinking once again how considerate Naruto was of his friend. Grasping the handle, she pulled the rolling case down the short hall to the open door of the guest room - _her_ room for the duration of her stay at Sasuke's.

She stopped just inside the doorway, not really surprised at the room's austere interior. A single bed sat squarely in the center of the opposite wall, beneath the single window. A bureau against the wall next to the door and a bedside table holding a single lamp were the only other pieces of furniture in the room.

No pictures on the wall. No rugs on the floor.

Blinking, Hinata let go of the handle of her suitcase and took a step back, head turning to study the walls of the hall and the main room just beyond. Just like in the guest room, the walls and floor were bare, save for Team Seven's photo sitting on the table next to the door out to the postage-stamp sized balcony overlooking the street below.

Lifting her hands, Hinata rubbed them up and down her arms. She was used to the sterile, ordered interior of the Hyuuga mansion; but compared to Sasuke's flat, it was downright homey. Here, she saw basically _nothing_ to indicate the place's owner saw it as a home, a place of safety, and contentment, and rest.

If she didn't know better, she would almost think no one lived here.

_Or,_ her mind whispered as she scurried back into her guest room and closed the door behind her, _no one is _planning_ on living here._

Shaking off the somehow disturbing thought and the lingering chill with it, Hinata set about unpacking. It was time for her to make this space, at least, as much like home as possible.

_If_ such a thing were possible in such an unfeeling, unwelcoming place.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ I wrote the first chapter of this fic almost a year ago, but the idea scared me, so I quit after that. But then Mother's Day approached, and I asked my mom (a fellow _Naruto_ fan) what she wanted me to write her for the occasion. She recalled this idea and told me to finish it. So here I am with _Blind Faith_. It's quite a bit darker than my previous work,_ Coffee Connections_, but I love it in its own way. It's a semi-canonical AU where Sasuke never left the village with the Sound Ninja Four, and in this story the Fourth Ninja War _never happened_. There will be some action later in the story, but this is very much an emotionally driven fic, so most of the focus will be on developing Sasuke and Hinata's emotions and interactions with each other. Thank you very much for checking out my story, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and I hope to see you again next week for chapter two!


	2. Nightmare

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Sheep-san_, _MeghanLeggyLeaf_, _Renoa Heartilly_, _Kibachow_, _NerdCulture_, _Guest_, _farahb_, _Shahar Mystral_, _ariannaisgone_, _xXYour DoomXx_, and _Dani Stark_ for all your encouraging reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and alert lists - your response is overwhelmingly amazing!

**Author's Note:** I just wanted to mention quickly that this story is basically completely written already. I'm only a couple chapters away from the end, so I've got a huge cushion and should have no problem keeping up the chapter-a-week updates for that reason. Having said that, my grandmother is in the hospital and my mother has severely injured her knee, so if a week slides by without an update - don't worry, I haven't abandoned the story! Real life has just prevented me from updating. But since the story's practically done, I don't think I'll have a problem keeping up with the schedule. I just wanted to warn you all ahead of time, just in case. Thank you all for your support for the first chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one!

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***~Chapter II~***

_~Nightmare~_

* * *

As the leaching grey shades of pre-dawn gave way to the pastel colors of the sunrise, Hinata woke to the sounds of banging pots and vociferous swearing. Sitting straight up in bed, she blinked through a few seconds of disorientation at her unfamiliar surroundings.

Upon remembering her relocation to Sasuke's apartment, and why, Hinata scrambled out from under her blankets and hurried out into the hall. She followed the sounds - getting progressively louder as the seconds passed - and found her patient in the kitchen, clutching a wok in one hand, his other locked around the edge of the counter in a white-knuckled grip. His head snapped around upon hearing her entrance. The look of fury on his face - most particularly the snarl on his lips - nearly sent her back around and straight out the door so she could go home, tail tucked between her legs.

Hyuuga Hinata had never really considered herself a coward, but in the face of a particularly furious Uchiha Sasuke, she began to think discretion might be the better part of valor.

Swallowing back the irrational urge to bolt, Hinata crept across the kitchen and reached out her hand. "Why don't you let me do that?" she said, trying to keep her tone calmly conversational.

Sasuke stood still for a long moment, breathing in and out deeply through his nose. A muscle in his jaw ticked sporadically; she knew he was struggling with his new handicap. She didn't know much about him, but what she did, added to what she'd already observed, told her he was an extremely independent person. Having to depend on someone else to do something as simple as cooking for him undoubtedly wore his nerves thinner than usual.

Hinata waited patiently until he finally, reluctantly, nodded. She took the wok out of his hand and headed for the stove just a few steps away. "If you want to sit down at the table," she said, "I'll have some b-breakfast ready in just a few minutes."

Without a word, her companion folded himself down onto one of the two cushions at the low table in the corner. Hinata watched him out of the corner of her eye as she went about gathering ingredients for a simple breakfast, noticing the way his head turned so he could follow her progress by sound. She made an effort to be noisier than usual, feeling awkward as she did so.

Between the sparse contents of Sasuke's shelves and the things she'd brought with her the day before, she was able to fix an admirable breakfast, which she set on the table around half an hour after she first woke.

"The rice is in front of you," she said as she settled onto the cushion across from his. "To your left is some broiled fish, and to your right are some cinnamon rolls. I didn't know what you liked for breakfast, so I tried to make an assortment of things."

"I don't like sweets." Sasuke said the words in the same tone any other person might have used to report on the weather as he reached for the rice.

"Oh," Hinata said softly. She gazed at the cinnamon rolls, torn between feeling happy she'd get them all to herself and disappointed that he wouldn't try them, since many of her friends said she made the best they'd ever tasted. "If you tell me more of what you like, I'll work on making meals more suited to your tastes from here on out."

"Tomatoes."

She blinked at the single-word response. _That's it?_ Brow wrinkled, she absently nibbled on a cinnamon roll as she mentally reviewed the recipes she knew, searching for any which utilized tomatoes. She could only think of two or three, so she made a mental note to pick up a cookbook the next time she went out shopping. "All right. Thank you."

"Hn." A brief look of surprise washed across his face when he took a bite of fish, but it disappeared quickly and he went on eating as if nothing had happened.

Hinata hoped the look meant he liked it, and not the other way around. Either way, he was still eating, so she chose to think he enjoyed it. Picking up her teacup, she watched him from beneath her lashes as she asked, "Do you have a particular routine you follow daily? I don't want to be in your way if you do. After all, I'm here to help you, not hinder you."

Sasuke sat in silence for a long moment, his chopsticks dangling from his fingers as he appeared to think about her question. "Usually I eat breakfast, then head out for training with Team Kakashi." The corners of his mouth tightened, and he turned his head away from her. "Seeing as that's out of the question right now, I suppose I don't really have anything to do, except therapy with you. Feel free to do whatever you want as long as you're here." He lapsed back into silence.

"Thank you." Hinata stared down at the contents of her plate, her hunger gone. Lady Tsunade's dire predictions about Sasuke's being a bad patient suddenly held a whole new meaning. She'd expected him to be surly and impatient, wanting to rush through the therapy so he could get back in the field. This apathy was something completely out of the realm of possibilities for which she'd tried to prepare herself. _Now what do I do?_

Standing, Hinata left Sasuke alone at the table with his plate as she quietly cleaned the table around him. "I have to go to the market after your therapy to do some shopping," she said. "Do you want to come along?" She felt strange issuing the invitation.

"No." The single word sliced through the air with the cold precision of a katana blade.

Fighing the urge to cringe at the verbal blow, Hinata went to the sink and turned on the water so she could do dishes. "All right, then."

The rest of their time in the kitchen was spent in absolute silence.

* * *

Before sending Sasuke home, Lady Tsunade had spoken with the supervisor of the apartment building to work out a therapy room in the basement. Hinata led her patient into the dark, dank space, Byakugan activated so she could see despite the lack of light.

After getting Sasuke settled onto one of the two mats in the partitioned area farthest from the door, Hinata sat down across from him, knees touching his. "I'm going to remove your bandages now," she told him, hands hovering inches from his face.

At Sasuke's wordless grunt of assent, Hinata gently unwound the white gauze covering his eyes. As she worked, she forced herself to keep her breathing even, her touch gentle, and her movements soft so as not to startle her companion. She'd never worked with a blind person before, so she'd put quite a bit of thought into what she should and shouldn't do after the Hokage approached her about helping the last Uchiha.

When the bandages finally fell away, Hinata unconsciously echoed Sasuke's sigh of relief. As she set aside the wrappings, she saw him lift his hand toward his face, hesitate, then drop the appendage back in his lap. She wondered idly how much Lady Tsunade had told him about the damage to his eyes and if there was anything Sasuke didn't know.

"I'm going to touch your face now," Hinata said softly. Lightly charging her fingertips with chakra, she slowly lifted her hands and brushed her fingertips across his temples, sensing the _tenketsu_ points there as easily as she saw them with her Byakugan. Humming softly, soothingly, she trailed her fingers toward his eyes, seeing and feeling the damage which had, until then, only been words on a page of the report the Hokage had given her.

Sasuke tensed, his head jerking ever-so-slightly beneath her fingers.

Hinata froze, not removing her fingers, but not moving forward, either. "Does that hurt?"

"No." He cleared his throat, but his voice was husky when he spoke again. "That feels - strange. What _exactly_ are you doing?"

A thousand warnings tumbled through her mind, all of them spoken in her father's harsh voice. The Hyuuga clan jealously guarded the secrets of their fighting techniques; even more, they obsessively hoarded their Healing Touch. This was the first instance of which Hinata knew when the clan's abilities had been offered to help someone outside the Hyuuga - officially, anyway. She knew Neji had used what she'd taught him (in secret) to help Tenten when she'd been injured on missions. Neither of them mentioned this serious breech in security to anyone else. Tenten herself was also above reproach, since she had proven herself able to keep the location of Neji's blind spot the utmost secret.

A part of Hinata wanted to share the technique and its particulars with Sasuke. It seemed only fair to tell him what was being done to him, and after all, without the Byakugan he couldn't do it himself. But, at the same time, years of instilled secrecy and orders were hard to shake off, and she ultimately decided - at least for now - to keep the particulars to herself.

To placate Sasuke, however, she said, "I am blending our chakras to encourage your body's natural healing processes to speed up, so to speak." Hinata shifted her thumbs, lightly pressing them into the hollows between the corners of his eyes and his nose. "If everything goes according to plan, this should restore your sight to you within two weeks."

"Two weeks," Sasuke murmured. "That's not too bad."

She held her breath, hoping he wouldn't notice what she hadn't said. But, inevitably, he did, and voiced the question she'd been dreading. "What about my Sharingan?"

Hinata's index and middle fingers stilled over Sasuke's closed eyelids. The raw, puckered skin beneath her sensitive pads sent pangs of sadness into her heart, but she knew the last thing he wanted was sympathy. "Your Sharingan," Hinata began slowly, knowing, she'd already kept from answering too long. "While both Lady Tsunade and I are hopeful this technique will return your _doujutsu_ ability to you as well, we - we cannot make promises."

Sasuke's hands curled around her wrists, his strong fingers manacles around her delicate bones. She knew he could snap them like twigs if he so wished and instantly went absolutely motionless, wondering if she'd stirred a sleeping snake from its den. Hinata knew Sasuke was dangerous. She'd heard the whispers around the village, as well as stories from Naruto and Sakura themselves about how easily he could dispatch their enemies. He was the living personification of Danger wrapped up in a deceptively handsome package, and she sensed the darkness hovering just beneath his calm facade.

_What,_ she wondered shakily, _is he thinking?_

* * *

According to Lady Tsunade, he had an eighty-five percent chance of regaining use (even if not full use) of his Sharingan.

To hear Hinata tell it, the Hokage's estimation was laughably overblown. So was the Hyuuga heiress just naturally seeing things glass three-fourths-empty, or had Lady Tsunade lied to him?

It disturbed him to realize he couldn't tell either way.

"Hn." Letting go of the little woman's wrists, Sasuke allowed his hands to fall back into his lap. He heard her release a sigh, as if she'd been holding her breath, and then the warmth of her chakra flow resuming. The sensation wasn't painful, just strange, knowing foreign chakra was being channeled into his eyes. Just as weird was knowing he had to depend on Hinata to help him regain use of his eyes.

He wasn't used to depending on anyone. For _anything_. What would she want in repayment for this favor? And would she choose the method, or would her family? He didn't like the thought of being beholden to the Hyuuga _at all_.

"We're finished for today. All I have to do is put the bandages back on, and then we can go back upstairs." Hinata's hands withdrew from his face. This time Sasuke let out a sigh. The area just behind his eyes prickled, as if a headache was trying to build, but otherwise he felt no change.

And he could still see nothing. But, according to Hinata, they were in a special partitioned area of the basement, and it was _supposed_ to be dark. If by some miracle her therapy _did_ help him, how would he know it did if he couldn't see a blasted thing in the darkness of the basement, _and_ she put the bandages on him before they left?

"I'm going to put the bandages on now." Her words preceded the gentle touch of her hands by a few seconds. Sasuke sat still and suffered the indignities of having the thick gauze pads placed over his eyes, then a bandage wrapped snugly around his head. When Hinata leaned back, he immediately shifted into a crouch and smoothly rose to his feet.

"Thanks," he muttered. Sasuke _knew_, logically, he shouldn't expect immediate results, not from the very first session. But could he be blamed for being _hopeful_? He counted on his eyes to be a good ninja, and in a more far-reaching sense, to be a good Avenger...

"You're welcome." The tremor in Hinata's voice sounded clearer than ever to Sasuke's heightened sense of hearing. He wondered if it were prompted by shyness, fear of him, or both.

Her small, smooth, cool hand touched his, and then she linked their fingers. "This way," she prompted softly. "I'll get you settled back in the apartment, and then I'll go shopping."

"Fine." Sasuke wondered if she'd continue to tell him her every single move as long as she stayed at his apartment. Granted, in a best-case scenario she'd only be living in such close proximity two weeks. But fourteen days felt like a _really_ long time suddenly...

Ten minutes later, he sat on a cushion in his front room with a cup of water within easy reach and the radio in the corner playing quietly. With the door closed firmly behind Hinata and a good hour to himself before she came back, Sasuke had a plan - one he intended to enact immediately.

Getting to his feet, he took hold of the edge of the table in the center of the room and pushed it until it bumped against the wall. After making sure the water hadn't spilled, he took four steps in the direction from which he'd come to collect the cushions, then set them aside as well.

With the center of the room free of furniture, Sasuke was ready to begin. Drawing in a deep breath, he centered himself before settling into a fighting stance. He started out very slowly, merely stepping through _kata_ as familiar as breathing until his muscles warmed and his breathing quickened.

Keeping a mental image of the layout of his apartment in his mind's eye (the only way, he mused bitterly, he could see at the moment), Sasuke stepped up the pace. Sharpening each move, he snapped his kicks, added force to his punches, added height to each jump as he sprang off the balls of his feet.

A grim smile curled Sasuke's lips. It wasn't sparring, by any means, but at least he was keeping some of his fitness. He couldn't afford to lose any of his strength, not if he had a prayer of defeating his brother any time soon.

Hatred pulsed through him with white-hot intensity. Sasuke's foot lashed out with a forceful side kick. His pivoting base foot slammed into something hard and unyielding, sending pain racing up his nerves like lightning. Crying out in surprise and pain, he lost his balance and crashed to the floor, his head impacting another unexpected hardness.

Past the fog in his head and the ringing in his ears, he heard a far-off, vaguely familiar voice shout his name.

And then...

Nothing.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ I just wanted to mention this story is almost completely written already. I'm only a couple chapters away from the end, so I've got a huge cushion and should have no problem keeping up the chapter-a-week updates. However, my grandmother is in the hospital and my mother has severely injured her knee, so if a week comes along without an update - don't worry, I haven't abandoned the story! Real life just prevented me from updating. But since the story's practically done, I don't think I'll have a problem keeping up with the schedule. I just wanted to warn you all ahead of time, just in case, since I hate leaving people dangling without an update - and without an explanation why. Thank you all for your support for the first chapter, I hope you enjoyed this one, and I hope to see you again for next week's chapter!

_**Some Answers:**_ There were a few common questions asked in reviews, so I thought I'd post the answers here. A couple of reviewers asked if the Hyuuga Healing Touch is Hinata's technique, or if it was a general Hyuuga technique. The answer is it's a Hyuuga technique which is meant for the main branch (though Hinata taught Neji how to do it, shhh). And as far as ages in this story, the Rookie Nine are all 19, and Team Gai is 20. Another reviewer asked if Hanabi will make an appearance, and the answer is yes - but I'm afraid it's going to be a little while. She doesn't show up until closer to the end of the story, but she will be here. Thanks for all the questions, and if I missed answering one, just let me know and I'll answer in the next chapter!


	3. Presence

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _rao hyuga 18_, _Shahar Mystral_, _farahb_, _xXYour DoomXx_, _Kibachow_, _DieHardNaruFan_, _britata348_, _Starcakes_, _Guest_, and_ ariannaisgone_ for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this (and me!) to your favorites and follows lists - you all blow me away!

**Author's Note:** I'm very pleased to announce this story is now complete on my harddrive. All the chapters are currently with my beta, and she's only two away from the ending. So I'll be able to keep up a steady update schedule until the end of the story! There's some really exciting stuff in store, so I'd better be quiet before I throw out too many spoilers. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

***~Chapter III~***

_~Presence~_

* * *

A muttered, half-incoherent oath was the only warning of Sasuke's return to consciousness Hinata got before he jolted up so fast they nearly collided heads.

Sasuke hissed another curse, his strong pale hands lifting to cradle his head. "That _hurt_," he said plainly.

Hinata bit back the uncharactaristic urge to snap, _Well, what did you expect, doing something stupid like that?_ Instead, she scooted a little further away from Sasuke, just in case he decided to take a swipe at her. "You hit your head on the table," she said softly. "You have a fairly large bump on the back of your head, but I don't think you're concussed." That had been Hinata's first thought, after her initial knee-jerk reaction of wondering if her patient had just killed himself on her watch. After making sure he still breathed, and that he hadn't broken any bones (or worse, his neck!) in his hard tumble, she'd checked his head. Other than the goose egg, she couldn't find anything else wrong with him.

Except, of course, for the sour expression on his face and his equally foul mood. "I've had concussions before," he growled, "I know what they feel like. This isn't one."

Hadn't she just said he _didn't_ have one? Perhaps the bang on the head had a negative impact on his hearing. Clearing her throat, Hinata continued in an even tone, "My only other concern is that you might have undone the effects of the therapy session earlier. Fortunately, since we've only had the one, there wasn't _that_ much to undo, and I don't think you hit hard enough to do any more damage."

"It's not like I did it deliberately, Hyuuga," Sasuke snapped. At last lowering his hands, he turned his head in her direction and growled, "I never asked for a babysitter. I can take care of myself."

Hinata sighed quietly. "I know you didn't do it deliberately," she said patiently. "And I'm not here to babysit you." Rising, she started slowly across the room as she called over her shoulder, "But if you really don't want me here, I can pack up and go home right now." The Hyuuga heiress stopped when she reached the hall, holding her breath. Lady Tsunade would kill her if she just left, but she would do Sasuke absolutely no good if he refused to cooperate with her.

The hard line of Sasuke's jaw tightened further, and she saw the battle raging inside himself play across his face. At last he turned his head away from where he assumed her to be and half-growled, "You can stay. Just don't smother me."

Feeling the pent-up tension between her shoulder blades ease, Hinata smiled and made her way back across the main room. "If you need me for anything, I'll be in the kitchen putting away the groceries." Gathering up the bags she'd dropped when she came into the flat and saw Sasuke falling, she carried them to the kitchen and deposited them on the counter.

As she unpacked the bags, Hinata listened for movements in the next room. For a while she heard nothing; then a quiet grunt and Sasuke's bare feet slapping the floor. A few moments later, the door to his room clacked shut.

_Whew._ Hinata let out her breath as she tucked a new package of tea leaves into the cabinet next to the stove. Even though Sasuke had (grudgingly) allowed her to stay, she knew the battle was far from over. He wanted to keep up his conditioning, not let any of his skills as a ninja slip away during his recovery. Hinata could understand that, truly. But still, the sight of him falling, the sound of his head striking the table, lingered forcefully in the forefront of her mind.

What good would her healing do if he undid it after each time - or, heaven forbid, he hurt himself further?

Firmly closing the refrigerator door on the armful of vegetables she'd just deposited inside, Hinata shook her head as she reached into yet another bag. "One step at a time, Hinata," she murmured to herself. "Just take this thing one step at a time - or else you'll drive yourself crazy."

She hesitated, then smiled wryly and added, "If he doesn't do it _for_ you first."

* * *

"_Stupid_!" Sasuke muttered scathingly under his breath. Bracing his back against the wall next to his door, he slid down into a seated position, propped his elbows against his knees, and then rested his throbbing head in his hands.

He'd been so caught up in his _kata_ he forgot to keep track of his position in the room. It was a stupid, rookie mistake, far beneath him. And for Hinata to witness his weakness...!

"I am _so_ ready for this to be over." Sasuke had only been out of the hospital a day, and just started therapy that morning. He didn't like being idle. He hated being confined. And, most of all, he _despised_ not being able to see anything.

How could he exact the vengeance Itachi so richly deserved if he couldn't even _see_ his brother to do it?

Ignoring the pain in his head, Sasuke vaulted to his feet again. Pushing past the dizziness assailing his equilibrium, he prowled his room, at least reasonably sure he wouldn't trip in its confines. Making his way to the window, he shoved it open and stuck his head out, inhaling the muggy summer air outside. He wanted to be out on the training grounds with Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, honing his skills, getting ready for the next mission.

Coming yet one step closer to being ready to fight - to _defeat_ - Itachi.

The strong scent of something frying brought Sasuke's head back into his room, and he slammed his window shut. Surely there was _something_ he could do, even if he couldn't see!

"Sasuke?" Hinata's soft voice intruded on his musings, an itch he couldn't scratch, an incipient sneeze he just couldn't head off. Why did she annoy him so? "Sasuke, are you ready to eat dinner?"

Though he wasn't hungry, Sasuke grumbled an affirmative sound just to get rid of her. Maybe if she was stuck in the kitchen, she'd leave him alone.

Yeah, and maybe Naruto would become Hokage tomorrow. _Sure, _that's _going to happen._

As if Sasuke's thoughts had summoned the blond out of thin air, Sasuke heard Naruto's loud voice in his front room, overpowering Hinata's softer murmur. _What's _he_ doing here?_

"Oi, Sasuke!" The shout accompanied loudly thumping footsteps down the hall, coming ever-closer to the Uchiha's room, his sanctuary. "Hinata said-"

Sasuke slammed his door open with a crash, cutting off Naruto as quickly as possible. "What are you doing here?"

It wasn't hard to picture the sheepish grin on the _jinchuuriki_'s whiskered face as Naruto laughed anxiously. "I came to check on you, of course. You look like something the cat dragged in, but it's bound to get better from here."

Naruto was many things, but subtle had never been - and would never be - one of them. Clenching his fists at his sides, Sasuke battled the urge to lash out at his teammate. He remembered the panic in the _baka_'s voice during those sickening, pain-filled hours while his team rushed him back to the village and medical help right after-

As powerfully as he'd opened the door to his room, Sasuke slammed the door on the thought and its accompanying memories. "Have you been out on any missions lately?" He couldn't seem to help asking. Like picking at a scab, he had to keep probing the wound, making his loneliness and ineffectiveness worse.

"Not yet," Naruto said, voice full of false cheer. "It's only been a couple weeks since - since the last one, you know." The falter in his friend's voice rasped over Sasuke's already worn-thin nerves, and he clenched his teeth. "But Gramma Tsunade said Team Kakashi will be assigned a new mission sometime this week. She's gonna assign someone new to the team, but there's no way he'll ever replace you."

Even though Sasuke had anticipated Team Kakashi's receiving a (temporary) replacement, the fact someone else would be taking _his_ place still socked him in the gut. "Hn," he grunted. Stepping into the hall, he shut the door behind him firmly. "Hinata's cooking. You staying?" He really didn't want Naruto to do so, but with the timid little Hyuuga's impeccable manners, undoubtedly she was already fixing enough food for three. For all he knew, she'd already _invited_ Naruto to stay, just Sasuke's luck.

Naruto sniffed loudly. "Though it smells good, I can't. Kakashi-sensei is taking Sakura and me to dinner at Ichiraku's so we can get acquainted with the new guy."

Sasuke sensed his teammate's steps falter just as they reached the main room, and he stopped alongside him. "What?"

"I wish you could come." Naruto's usually cheerful voice sounded surprisingly pensive. "I'm - I'm sorry, Sasuke."

"Stop it." Sasuke hissed the words through his clenched teeth, hating his circumstances, the world in general, and most of all, Naruto's misplaced apology. "I don't want your sympathy - haven't you realized that by now?" The constant thorn in his side he could never be rid of, Naruto's overblown emotions about _everything_ was the last thing Sasuke felt like dealing with right then.

"It's not sympathy," Naruto said belligerently.

Turning sharply, Sasuke felt a rush of pride when his shoulder impacted Naruto's on the way past him to the kitchen. "Sure it's not. Good luck with the new teammate, Naruto." He stopped just before the door to the kitchenette, his hand pressed against the half-open shouji as he listened to his teammate clomp across the floor, then the door open and shut behind him as he left.

Letting out his breath, Sasuke pushed through the door, greeted by the familiar smell of ripe tomatoes. He heard the steady _clack-clack-clack_ of a knife blade against the cutting board stop, and then Hinata's voice. "I'm saving these tomatoes for Sasuke, Nar-" She stopped abruptly, her silence as effective as a slap. "Oh, Sasuke."

"Naruto left." Conveniently leaving out the reasons why, Sasuke listened intently to the sounds filling the kitchen in the absence of Hinata's chopping. He was able to make out the sounds of water boiling, a vague sizzle which might have been meat and vegetables in the wok, and a faint crackling he couldn't identify. "Is it almost ready?"

"Hai." Hinata's voice sounded strangely subdued, and she remained silent as the sound of the knife against the cutting board started up again.

Running his hand along the wall, Sasuke felt his way to the sink and flipped on the hot water. As he washed his hands, he listened to the homey sounds filling his kitchen, fighting desperately against the images crowding his head. How many times had he sat at the kitchen table during his childhood, watching his mother rush about the kitchen preparing dinner, her bare feet dancing across the floor, her cheerful humming filling the air?

At first, Sasuke thought the sound was just in his imagination. But as he turned off the water and felt around for the towel, he realized Hinata was humming, a popular folk song he'd heard his mother hum and sing a thousand times. He clenched his teeth against the nostalgia rising into his throat, his slick, wet hands strangling the towel. "Stop that!"

He hadn't realized he'd growled the words aloud until Hinata's humming stopped. "Wh-what?" She sounded confused, frightened.

"That infernal humming." Sasuke scrubbed at his hands with the towel until he thought he'd take some skin off with the water. "Can't you be quiet for five minutes?" All he could see in his mind's eye - the only way he could see at all any more - was his mother's broken, bloody body sprawled on the floor, her dead eyes staring up at the ceiling, devoid of life and love and-

"Ouch!" Something clattered, and he sensed a familiar spike in Hinata's chakra.

"What did you do?" Sasuke slapped the towel down on the counter in frustration. "Did you cut yourself?" Of all the stupid things to do...

"Don't worry, I didn't get any blood on the tomatoes." Hinata's choked voice sounded much closer than Sasuke thought. He felt her arm brush his as she turned on the water at the sink. "It's just a little cut. I won't even need stitches, I don't think."

Guilt stabbed Sasuke's conscience with surprising force. "I didn't mean to scare you," he said gruffly. He _wouldn't_ apologize - after all, it wasn't _his_ fault the little Hyuuga was so jumpy. But he _did_ feel badly about making her jump (or so he assumed) and cut herself.

The water shut off. "You didn't," Hinata said, but the words lacked conviction. He heard the muffled sounds of her drying her hands, and she breezed past him again. The scent of something light and sweet - vaguely citrusy, maybe? or was it flowery? - tickled Sasuke's nose. He headed for the table in an attempt to escape it.

"I'm going to get a bandage. If you want to go ahead and sit down at the table, I'll dish things up when I get back." The kitchen door rattled open, and Hinata's light footsteps pattered away.

Sasuke felt his way over to the table and sank down on his usual cushion. The throbbing in his head had turned into a painful pounding worthy of the drums the monks played during festivals, reminding him of his stupidity of earlier in the day.

Cupping his forehead in the palm of his hand, Sasuke ground his teeth. _Maybe I'll wake up in the morning and find out this has all been some terrible dream._

The swish of fabric against fabric and a light footfall alerted Sasuke that Hinata was back from getting her bandaid. His hand clenched into a fist around a handful of his hair, and he bit down on his tongue so hard he tasted blood. _She's humming again_.

Not even the plate of tomatoes, neatly chopped into bite-sized pieces and arranged for his enjoyment alone, cheered Sasuke.

He wouldn't be happy until he had his Sharingan abilities back and he could _finally_ get rid of his annoying housemate: the sooner the better.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_I know things aren't going too well on the SasuHina front right now, but I promise, we'll get there! I _can_ now tell you this story is completely done on my harddrive. The last few are with my beta right now, so I'll be able to keep up my steady updates until I'm finished posting. There's some stuff I'm _really_ looking forward to coming up in future chapters - I'm so excited to be sharing this story with you all! I'm so thankful for you all, for your positive comments and the support you've given me for this story. I was so nervous at first - I almost felt like a new writer again! - but now I feel a lot better. Thanks again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!

**An Answer:**One lovely reviewer asked if Sasuke still has the curse mark from Orochimaru in this AU. The answer is yes, and I can promise it will play very heavily in the story later on. Thanks for the question!


	4. Damages

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _ariannaisgone_, _Guest_, _Narutoimagine01_, _xXYour DoomXx_, _farahb_, _patheticnemesis_,_ Kibachow_, _The King in White_, _Starcakes_, _Saki-Hime_, _moonlightclock_, _Mia_, _Honeyee_, _Shahar Mystral_, _aryaputra_, _wolf-enzeru_, _rao hyuga 18_, and _Dani Stark_ for all your amazing reviews! And also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and alerts - seriously, you all are beyond epic!

**Author's Note:** A day early update! Tomorrow's going to be super-busy (my mother is having knee surgery - the same kind she's had twice before on her left knee, now she needs it on her right), so I wasn't sure I'd have time to do it then. I didn't want to post a day late - or worse, skip a week entirely! - so I decided to update early. I'm really amazed at the great response this story has gotten, and I'm so thankful to every single one of you for your positive feedback. I love you all, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

***~Chapter IV~***

_~Damages~_

* * *

Perhaps one day Sasuke would get used to waking to a dark world.

Hopefully, before that day came, Hinata would do as she promised and fix his eyes so he wouldn't have to do so.

After he finished his usual morning routine - which took him five times longer since he couldn't _see_ - Sasuke found Hinata already in the kitchen, hard at work on breakfast.

"Good morning," she greeted him, sounding far too cheerful.

"Hn." Sasuke sniffed curiously, trying to identify the smells which had woken him. "What are you making?" He headed toward the table, trailing his hand along the wall at waist-height, fingers curled inward, so he wouldn't run into any counters along the way.

"Omelettes," Hinata replied. "I've arranged a plate of fruit, and rice, too."

Sasuke hadn't had an omelette in years - not since his clan was still alive. He sank down onto his cushion at the table, feeling off-balance, trapped somewhere between the present and the past. He hadn't expected Hinata to awaken so many memories, things he'd spent _years_ trying _not_ to remember. First the humming, now the food? What in the world was she going to do next?

And had she made a conscious decision to be difficult, or was she just so much like Mikoto this behavior was natural?

A cup clicked against the tabletop in front of and slightly to the right of him. "Tea," Hinata told him. Then, sounding farther away, "Be careful, it's still very hot."

Ignoring the cup, Sasuke listened to her putter around the kitchen. Her footsteps - and accompanying scent, which he _still_ couldn't identify - approached him several times, accompanied by the clack of plates and bowls being set on the table. Then she'd go back across the kitchen, only to return a few moments later.

He wondered if Hinata was used to cooking at the compound she called home, or if the Hyuuga employed cooks. And, if that were the case, where had she learned to cook (and so well)?

Finally, Hinata took her own place at the table. "Your tea is still to your right. Directly in front of you is your plate with the omelette, and just past that is the platter of fruit. The tomatoes are turned toward you, then the strawberries to the right of that, orange slices on the left, and then grapes bewteen. Your rice bowl is on your left." He heard her pick up her chopsticks, and then, "Is there anything else you want or need?"

"No." He hesitated, almost sure he felt a ghostly pinch on the back of his neck which had to be his mother's correcting fingers. "Thank you," he grumbled.

"You're welcome." The awkward hesitance in her tone from earlier disappeared with the response. "I hope you enjoy it."

If it tasted anything like what she'd fixed so far, Sasuke knew he was _definitely _going to enjoy it. Mumbling an affirmative sound, he picked up his own chopsticks and secured a slice of tomato. Hinata had fixed the slices just like she had the evening before, with a light dusting of salt - not enough to cover the taste of the fruit, but the perfect complement.

For a few minutes, they ate in silence. Eventually, against Sasuke's will, his curiosity got the better of him. "Where'd you learn to cook?" He just couldn't bring himself to voice _so well_.

Hinata made a soft sound of startlement, and her cup loudly impacted the table. "Is it not any good?"

...Why did she automatically assume he didn't like her food? "No, it tastes fine. I just wondered. You're the heiress of your clan, right? I just never thought learning how to cook would be in the lesson plans of an heiress." _Why did I even ask? If I'd known it'd be this much trouble, I wouldn't have._ He sighed inaudibly.

"Oh." Hinata cleared her throat. A strange clicking noise came from her side of the table, but Sasuke couldn't identify it. "It's not, actually. But I used to spend a good deal of time in the kitchen, because it was always so warm there." She hesitated, her silence filled with a thousand things she either couldn't or wouldn't say. "I learned quite a bit just from watching the cooks, and when I got older, I started asking questions. Eventually, I started pitching in, and I learned everything I could. I can make everything from omelettes to sashimi to _inari-zushi_, so if you're ever hungry for something in particular, please let me know."

He nodded silently, letting her think he would even though he had no intention of doing so.

"I can also make sweets, like cinnamon rolls," Hinata continued cheerfully. "I also make sesame buns, which are Tenten's favorite. Neji asks me to make them a lot so he can take them to her."

"I don't like sweets," Sasuke said automatically.

"I know," Hinata said softly. "You told me that yesterday. I've already made up a menu that excludes them."

Once again, the chill along the back of his neck prompted a reluctant, "Thanks."

After they ate, Hinata once more led him down to the basement. Sasuke felt the dull throb in his head ease a little in the cool, dank air, and he sat still as the Hyuuga healer unwound the bandages from around his head.

"Now's the time we find out what damage, if any, was done yesterday," Hinata murmured. Her cool fingers brushed his temples, and he heard her whisper, "Byakugan!"

Sasuke had the rather unsettling feeling Hinata was seeing further inside him than just the chakra paths around his eyes. He hated the thought those creepy pale eyes were seeing past the physical, down into the blackest depths he'd really rather keep private.

"Hmm," Hinata murmured.

"What?" Sasuke stiffened despite himself. "What do you see?"

"It looks like there was no damage to your eyes - or, I should say, no _further_ damage to your eyes." Hinata's fingers trailed down his temples, then across his cheekbones. "Your head..."

"It hurts," he admitted. "A little."

"It's no wonder." Hinata's hands moved, thumbs just brushing the corners of his eyes, palms lightly pressed just in front of his ears, fingers splayed through his hair. "You're going to feel a warmth. Let me know if it your pain gets worse instead of better, all right?"

Starting at the points where her fingers pressed against his scalp, Sasuke felt the promised heat flow through his head. It trickled down his neck, into his shoulders, then over and around his skull until he felt like he was wearing a nice warm scarf. Almost immediately, the pain in his head eased from a throb to a gentle pulse, then disappeared entirely. "_Ahhh_," he sighed.

Hinata giggled softly. "Does that feel better, then?" He could hear the smile in her voice as the warmth began to fade away and she withdrew her hands.

"Yes." Surprised, he reached up to touch his head, pressing against the much smaller lump on the side of it. "How did you do that?" Not even Lady Tsunade or Sakura had eased his injuries so quickly or effectively in the past.

"It's the Hyuuga Healing Touch," Hinata said. "And that is all I can tell you."

Sasuke didn't even realize her legs had been pressing against his until she withdrew them. "Are you ready for me to work on your eyes now?" He could feel the warmth of her hands, hovering just next to his skin, but not touching him yet.

"Yes." As her fingers settled into the same positions as the day before, Sasuke cleared his throat and dared voice another question which popped into his mind. "If you can heal my head that quickly, why can't you do the same with my eyes?"

"Different injury," Hinata murmured. She sounded distracted, but to his relief, she kept talking. "Compared to your eyes, the bump on your head was nothing - easily fixed. The damage to your eyes is much worse, far more extensive."

It made sense, he supposed, in a maddeningly _vague_ sort of way. Was she merely prevaricating, though, or was it true? He had to wonder. His original suspicions of the Hyuuga allowing one of their own to work on healing him had not waned, not even after her great show of sympathy. Not even when she truly proved herself by healing his head.

The Uchiha and the Hyuuga had never been friends. But, at least for now, he would give Hinata the benefit of the doubt. Still, though, if she slipped up in any way, he would be ready.

* * *

Sasuke's mood changes seemed as unpredictable and changeable as sandstorms in Suna. One minute Hinata felt like he was actually treating her like a normal, intelligent human being; the next, he started imitating a caveman with his grunts and other nonverbal responses.

The tension humming through his form was as visible as his chakra paths. Hinata knew better than to tell him to relax; thankfully, she could work with his eyes without him being a cooked noodle (though it wasn't as easy, him being stiff as a marble statue and all that).

"Will you be all right here by yourself for a few hours?" Hinata asked. She hated to leave him alone again, especially after what he'd done the day before, but she really didn't have much choice.

"Getting tired of me already, Hyuuga?" The artificially blithe note in Sasuke's tone barely hid the acidity beneath.

"Not at all." Hinata drew in a deep breath, working hard to maintain the calm control she needed for Sasuke's therapy - and to protect her own emotional stability. "Tomorrow is Neji's birthday. I want to go to the party, at least for a little while."

The skin beneath her fingers wrinkled as Sasuke presumably raised an eyebrow. "The Hyuuga actually know how to party?" He sounded half confused, half amused.

Hinata felt her own eyebrows crunch down with irritation. "Just because we keep tighter control of our emotions than most doesn't mean we don't know how to celebrate life." In fact, Neji had loosened up considerably in the years following the _chuunin_ exams. Hinata knew it was partially due to his friendship with Naruto, partly because of his more familial feelings toward her, but mostly because he had started quietly dating Tenten. It was hard to keep from smiling around the bubbly, friendly weapons mistress.

"And besides," Hinata continued, "it's not _just_ Hyuuga who are invited. The rest of Neji's team will be there, and his friends as well." She eased the chakra out of her fingertips and withdrew her hands. "You're invited, too, you know," she said. "You didn't know about it sooner because of your - mission, and I didn't know if you'd want to come with me. I didn't want to make you feel more awkward." She picked up fresh bandages for his eyes, suddenly feeling frustrated for no reason she could pin down.

"So you're saying you didn't tell me about it to be nice?" Sasuke asked dryly.

"Yes?" Hinata gently pressed oval guaze pads over Sasuke's eyes, then began wrapping the bandages over them. "I know this is hard for you, and-"

"You _know_." Suddenly Sasuke's voice ward hard, cold. "You still have your precious Byakugan. You can see everything and more, and you always have been able to. So please forgive me if I don't _exactly_ believe you when you tell me you _know_ this is hard for me."

Securing the bandage, Hinata withdrew her hands. "I'm done," she whispered. Traitorous tears filled her eyes, but she determinedly forced them back. Sasuke was hurting, badly. He was confused and perhaps even a little frightened, and his defense mechanism was to push everyone away.

She shouldn't take it so personally.

"Fine. Go home then. I'll find some other way to get my sight back - I never really believed you would do this, anyway." Sasuke's icy voice drove into her like a spear, striking through the insecure part of her which still wondered if perhaps she wasn't good enough:

Good enough to be a ninja. A daughter. A future clan head. And, at the moment, a healer.

Swallowing back the thick lump in her throat, Hinata said tremulously, "I meant I was finished with your bandages."

The silence stretched between them, filled to the snapping point with a thousand tense screams neither voiced. At last Sasuke got to his feet and then stumbled past her in the general direction of the door. "Fine," he snarled. "Go. Stay. I don't care either way."

Hinata bowed her head and closed her eyes, listening to his footsteps move away from her. At last he found the door and yanked it open, then slammed it behind him, leaving her alone in the darkness.

"I can do this," she whispered. "I _am_ strong enough. I will prove it, to everyone."

Sasuke could throw whatever he wanted at her. He could scream at her, push her away emotionally and physically, hurl insults and degrade her all he wanted. But she would prove to him, and everyone else, that she was strong enough.

Good enough.

_I _will_ do this._

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ My mother's having knee surgery tomorrow (something she's already had done twice on her left knee, now she has to have it done on the right one), so I wasn't sure I'd be able to update then. So instead of being a day - or worse, a _week_ - late, I decided to put this chapter up a day early. I'm so thankful for the positive response I've recieved for this story - seriously, you all blow me away with the reviews, faves, follows, even the hits! I was so nervous about this story, I was afraid no one would like it. So I'm infinitely thankful for you all and your support. Thank you again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!


	5. Invitations

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks: **goes out to _farahb_, _Shahar Mystral_, _Delicatelyplaced_, _wolf-enzeru_,_ xXYour DoomXx_, _Renoa Heartilly_, _Honeyee_, _Guest (1)_, _patheticnemesis_, _Kibachow_, _MuffinMan9223_, _ariannaisgone_, _ArtisticAngel6_, _The King in White_, _Dani Stark_, _Ana_, _britata348_, _rao hyuga 18_, _Guest (2)_, and _Saki-Hime_ for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who has added this story to their favorites and follows lists - I am so blown away!

**Author's Note:** I'm very happy to report my mother's knee surgery went just fine and she's already feeling much, much better. She asked me to thank all of you for the well wishes, and she sends you all virtual hugs! This is one of my favorite chapters in the whole story - I think it's one that best showcases the ups and downs Sasuke's going through. And I really loved writing Hinata in this chapter. I just want to hug her! Thank you so much for reading, and your comments for the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one!

* * *

***~Chapter V~***

_~Invitations~_

* * *

Though Sasuke made punctual appearances for meals and his next therapy session, he rabidly avoided Hinata the rest of the time. Often she puttered about the flat feeling as if she were the only person in the building. Once, when she glimpsed the firmly closed door to his bedroom, Hinata got a mental image of Sasuke hanging upside down from the ceiling like a bat (or a vampire), but she firmly shook away the image.

As afternoon wore on toward evening, Hinata dressed for Neji's birthday party and wondered anxiously if she should knock on Sasuke's bedroom door and let him know she was going, or if she should slip out and let him figure things out on his own. He definitely was not being sociable. He'd also told her to stay away from his room; but she hated the thought of just walking out and leaving him alone.

But it wasn't like he didn't already know she was planning to attend the party...

While Hinata stood in the middle of the main room, feeling anxious and torn, the door to Sasuke's room rattled open, then shut. Turning in surprise, she saw him padding down the hall toward her, dressed in white _hakama_ and a black _haori_ with the Uchiha crest embroidered on either panel of the fabric crossed over his chest. "It's time to leave, right?" he asked without preamble.

Hinata blinked at him in a moment of complete, utter, and absolute shock. "You're c-coming too?" she stuttered.

One dark eyebrow arched above the white bandages swathing his eyes. "You _did_ say I was invited," he said in a surprisingly reasonable tone. "And I'm _sick_ of being trapped in this place. I want to go somewhere, and do something. _Anything_."

If she'd known that, Hinata would have offered to bring him along when she went shopping. Or even offered to go on something as simple as a stroll around the block. "All right," she said, a little weakly.

After Sasuke locked the door and they'd navigated the steps and were on solid ground, Hinata ventured a question. "How did you know it was time to leave?"

"I've been counting the minutes," Sasuke said gravely.

Shocked yet again, Hinata stopped, yanking him to a halt with her since she had her hand tucked through his crooked arm to guide him. "_What_?" she gasped.

"I heard you moving around, and figured enough time had passed for it to be about time for the party," Sasuke said. "I'm not so bored I actually have to resort to counting minutes, Hyuuga. I'm not _that_ desperate, at least not yet."

It wasn't until they were only a block away from the Hyuuga compound that Hinata realized Sasuke had made a _joke_. And she realized he must have done it to apologize for his behavior the day before. A simple _I'm sorry_ definitely would have sufficed, but somehow, she liked his joke better. It felt more - personal. As if he'd put more thought and effort into it than just simply mouthing a platitude.

The courtyard was already filled with people when Hinata and Sasuke were admitted through the gates by the two guards on duty. Though once again among members of her clan, Hinata didn't feel the urge to relax; in fact, she felt under more pressure than ever. This was a chance for her to make headway in her quest to prove herself to her clan in general and her father in particular.

"Oi!" The familiar call from their right drew Hinata's attention to the orange-clad blond hurrying through the crowd toward them. Other heads turned at the loud exclaimation above the otherwise quiet murmuring of conversations, but Hinata still smiled as Naruto came up to her and Sasuke. "Glad you both could make it." His brilliant blue eyes shifted from Hinata to Sasuke. For a moment his smile wavered.

Hinata knew she should say something - preferably something smart that would draw Naruto's attention - but she couldn't even get her mouth to open. She looked away quickly from her crush's dazzling smile, allowing her pale gaze to sweep across the courtyard. Though a lot of the older generation of Hyuuga hadn't deigned to make an appearance, most younger members of the clan had come out to celebrate Neji's birthday. The turnout pleased her greatly.

"You need to get better faster, Sasuke," Naruto said, drawing Hinata's attention back to him. "The new guy is nowhere _near_ as good as you!" Tucking his hands behind his head, he made a face. "And Kakashi-sensei has made us go back to the _basics_ of teamwork to get us all 'used' to each other." He rolled his eyes eloquently.

"The success of each and every team in this village hinges on how well they work _as_ a team," Sasuke replied tightly. "I would have done the same thing in his place."

Naruto frowned, obviously having expected a show of support from his teammate. "Yeah, that's what Sakura said."

Just then, the pink-haired _kunoichi_ in question came by to greet Sasuke and Hinata and drag Naruto away, scolding him for "monopolizing" the pair's attention. Feeling disappointed she hadn't even had a chance to muster enough courage to say anything to Naruto, Hinata led Sasuke along the outskirts of the courtyard, where it was less likely someone would bump into them. The scent of flowers mingled with that of food, and she reveled in the opportunity to enjoy someone else's cooking again. She enjoyed making her and Sasuke's meals, but she missed the special flavors the Hyuuga cooks put in the food. They wouldn't tell her what they were, insisting they were old secrets meant for them to know alone.

"Sounds busy," Sasuke remarked, the first thing he'd said to her since they entered the gates. "Are there a lot of people here?" His arm only felt slightly tense beneath her hand.

"It's a much larger turnout than I thought there'd be," Hinata replied. "Most of the clan showed up, and it looks like all Neji's friends are here. Lee is talking to Kiba and Chouji, and Gai-sensei is talking to-" she felt her eyebrows crinkle in confusion, and perhaps a bit of alarm "-my father." Who, she noted wryly, did not seem amused by the green-clad man's enthusiastic speech about youth. Though Hinata thought (with private amusement) it would do her father good to hear the spiel - he'd been hanging out with the Elders far too long, and was beginning to seem a bit stuffy around the edges himself.

All conversation in the courtyard ceased abruptly when, at the top of the stairs leading up to the massive front doors into the main house, Neji appeared with Tenten on his arm. Applause rippled its way through the crowd, and Hinata let go of Sasuke's arm long enough to join in as several raised voices shouted "Happy birthday!" and someone - she felt sure it was Kiba - whistled loudly.

Hinata lost track of her cousin when he and Tenten reached the bottom of the steps. Knowing Neji would have to make the rounds through the crowd, she knew she'd have a chance to talk to him for a minute, anyway, before she and Sasuke left. "Are you hungry?" she asked her quiet companion.

He made a noncommital sound, which Hinata decided to take as an affirmative since she was. Keeping their arms linked, she guided Sasuke along the outskirts of the crowd in the scenic route to the heavily-laden tables from which the wonderful smells of food originated.

Along the way, they met up with several friends. Hinata felt awkward since most of them spoke only to her. She knew they weren't sure what to say to Sasuke, but she wished they wouldn't treat him like he was deaf instead of blind, and temporarily at that.

"I'm sorry," she said to him as they walked away from Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Lee, and Shino. "I wish-"

"Can't change what anyone thinks," Sasuke said gruffly. "Besides, everything will go back to normal as soon as I get my sight back. I'll just deal with whatever happens until then in my own way."

Hinata wasn't entirely sure _his own way_ was healthy, at least emotionally and mentally speaking. But her mission was to heal his body, and Lady Tsunade had warned her not to get too involved, because it would make everything more complicated. "For both of you," the Hokage had emphasized.

She was beginning to understand the point Lady Tsunade had been trying to make. It hurt to see Sasuke so at odds with himself and the world because of his blindness. She could see how frustrated and angry he was. The fact she couldn't do any more to help him than what she was already doing tore her up inside.

But Hinata also knew Sasuke's choosing to come to Neji's birthday party was a step forward in and of itself, and it gave her hope. The fact he wasn't keeping himself locked in his flat away from people, hiding from his friends, the village, and even himself, meant he was beginning to come to terms with things. He was starting to rule his blindness, instead of allowing his blindness to rule him.

These things could only make Sasuke's road to healing all the shorter, and Hinata's heart rejoiced at the thought.

* * *

"You're sure you'll be all right here for a few minutes?"

Sasuke heard the tight anxiety in Hinata's voice as clearly as if she'd shouted it instead of nearly whispering the question. But seated with a bench beneath him and a wall to his back, he felt certain he could sit for a few minutes by himself, and told her so. "Besides," he said, "I'm sure you want to say something to your cousin, right?"

Hinata made a hesitant sound of affirmation.

"All right then," Sasuke said decidedly. He was relieved when she murmured, "I'll be back soon" and her footsteps pattered off. He couldn't dispute her care for him - it was topnotch, without a doubt. But sometimes it did feel, just a bit, like she was trying to smother him, despite his admonitions to her to the contrary. After so many years of being alone and taking care of himself, Sasuke felt a little stir-crazy with someone else being _right there_ whenever he turned around.

Letting out his breath, Sasuke slumped back against the wall behind him and tucked his hands in his pockets. All around him, the sound of conversation flowed like water, only slightly louder than the background music coming from somewhere ahead and to the left of him. Occasionally a burst of laughter rose from one place or another, then faded away. It was more sound than he was used to, but at least he was able to keep track of how far away from him everyone was.

The smells, so much stronger than he was accustomed to, made him feel slightly nauseous. Between the food and the flowers, the strong scents pervading the courtyard made him halfway wish he'd just stayed home.

Sasuke knew Hinata felt embarrassed about their group of friends not really saying anything to him earlier. But he found it an utter relief, since he didn't want to talk to anyone. He'd only come with her because he wanted to get out of the flat, and he knew she (and Lady Tsunade, for that matter) wouldn't approve if he tried it on his own. So he'd swallowed his antisocial pride and accompanied her to the party.

_Only a couple more weeks,_ Sasuke sighed in relief. _Then I'll have my sight back and Hinata will go back home. And if I still need therapy for my Sharingan, I can meet her somewhere else - like the hospital - for that._

"_Sasuke_!"

The dual squeals were as familiar as the screech of chalk on a blackboard - both sounds, ironically, originating from his time at the Academy. Sasuke stiffened as he sensed two people swooping toward him like twin vultures, then separating as they got closer to hem him in on either side.

_How long has Hinata been gone, exactly?_ Sasuke had rather lost track of time, but he _hoped_ it was a lot longer than it felt, since that meant she'd come back soon.

"Oh, I haven't seen you since the accident!" Yamanaka Ino sounded a little like she was going to cry. _Wonderful._ "Forehead told me all about it, but she didn't tell me you looked like this!"

"Don't be rude, Ino-pig!" Sakura hissed, practically right in Sasuke's left ear. Her hand settled - with not a small amount of possessiveness - on his arm. He felt himself tense as she went on. "Just ignore her, Sasuke. If Lady Tsunade hadn't been keeping me so busy, I would have come by your flat to check on you. I'm glad you came to the party, so I can see you. Has Hinata been taking care of you okay?"

"Hinata?" Ino's claws latched on to Sasuke's right arm, digging in with even _more_ possessivness than her rival's. "What do you mean, Hinata? Are you dating her or something?"

Sasuke couldn't seem to unlock his jaw long enough to answer; but fortunately he didn't have to, since Sakura was more than happy to jump in with a quick retort. "Don't be _stupid_, Ino-pig! They're not _dating_. Lady Tsunade assigned her to help him with therapy for his eyes. I _told_ you that three days ago - weren't you listening to me?"

"Why should I listen to you?" The nauseating scent of too much perfume filled Sasuke's nostrils as something soft smacked his shoulder - undoubtedly Ino's ponytail. "You never really say anything important anyway, Forehead!" she hissed.

A sickening mix of revulsion, anger, and frustraton roiled through Sasuke's stomach, which felt as tightly coiled as a snake waiting to strike. He'd just opened his mouth to say something (which, in hindsight, probably would have been even _more_ of a disruption to Neji's party than the girls' bickering), but before he could, another voice interrupted.

"Sakura, Ino, there you are." Hinata's voice sounded smooth, calm, and as beautiful as a choir of angels. "Naruto is looking for you, Sakura. And I told Shikamaru and Chouji I'd send you to them if I saw you, Ino."

The two grating females put up token protests, but thankfully left soon thereafter. Hinata sat down in Ino's abandoned place, the soft scent of her perfume soothing Sasuke's overwhelmed nostrils as she lightly bumped his hand with a cup. "Here's some tea," she said softly.

Shifting his hand, Sasuke accepted the cup gratefully and gulped down half its contents in three big swallows. "Thanks." Funny, he didn't even need his mother's ghostly presence to say it that time.

"You're welcome." Something warm and slightly heavy came to rest on his lap, and Sasuke moved his free hand to secure the side of the plate as Hinata said, "There's your food. There weren't a lot of dishes with tomatoes, but I got a lot of what did."

Once again, the evidence of Hinata's thoughtfulness both startled and soothed him. "I'm sure whatever you brought me will taste good," he said truthfully. Hinata had told him she learned how to cook from the Hyuuga kitchen staff. If their food tasted anything like Hinata's, then he had no doubt it would be better than he'd had since his mother died.

For a while the pair sat side-by-side in silence, content to eat their food. When at last Sasuke set aside his mostly-empty plate, he finally ventured a question which had been lingering in his mind since that morning. "Can you tell if the therapy is helping my eyes yet or not?" He knew it was probably too soon for a _big_ difference to be obvious, but surely Hinata's extra-sensitive eyes could tell.

"Tomorrow's will be your fourth session," Hinata said slowly, almost thoughtfully. Her cup clicked softly against the bench as she set it down between them. Her arm brushed his as she withdrew, leaving a patch of heat on his skin. "After it's over, I will light a small candle and set it outside the partition. It will be dim enough not to hurt your healing eyes, but bright enough we'll be able to tell your progress by how well you can discern it."

Hinata sounded positive, so Sasuke allowed himself to hope - at least a little - he would _finally_ get a break from the constant blackness enveloping him. Even if it was only for a few brief seconds, he was willing to do just about _anything_ to get some relief. _Something_ tangible to let him know all this was worth it, to reassure him the therapy was doing what it was supposed to do.

"If you think I'll be able to see at least partially tomorrow, your therapy must be working fast." Sasuke lifted his cup of tea and took a sip. _Tepid._ Well, it was almost gone anyway.

"Please don't get your hopes up _too_ high," Hinata said hurriedly, sounding anxious again. "There _is_ a possibility it won't have done as much good as we're hoping. Remember, this is the first time the Hyuuga Healing Touch has been used on a pair of eyes. We have no frame of reference."

In other words, Sasuke was a glorified guinea pig. But the possibility, however remote, he could get his eyesight back made him willing to be her test subject the rest of his life if he had to.

"You know," Hinata said suddenly, voice soft, "I'm really glad you came with me tonight."

Sasuke stalled with his cup halfway to his lips again, shocked. And, somehow, gratified. Even though annoyances had been numerous and he was bored out of his mind... "You know," he said slowly in unconscious mimicry, "I-"

"Sasuke!"

Tension ripped through him like a rogue wave at the sudden intrusion of Naruto's loud hail, tautening his muscles in its wake. With the sudden motion, he lost his grip on his cup, spilling the dregs of his tea all over his _haori_.

"N-Naruto!" Hinata's squeak sounded like that of a cornered field mouse. A moment later her hand descended to Sasuke's shoulder, her touch as fluttery as a frightened bird. "Sasuke!"

Very calmly, Sasuke reached out to set his cup on the bench; he missed, as witnessed by the sound of shattering china. Jaw clenched, hands fisted at his sides, he rose and said tightly, "We are going home. _Now_."

Hinata did not protest as she slid her arm through his, her touch sending a fresh burst of flames through his body, though he couldn't explain why.

Naruto's footsteps, distinctive by their loudness, followed them as Sasuke and Hinata headed toward the gates out of the Hyuuga estate. "Sasuke, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"You never do, Naruto," Sasuke growled at his teammate. He came to an abrupt stop, yanking Hinata to a halt next to him, and turned his face in what he hoped was Naruto's direction. "All you do is cause trouble, and make a mess of things! You're an annoyance and a pain, and when will you learn all I want is to be left _alone_?"

He didn't realize until just then his voice had risen to a near-shout, and silence had fallen all across the courtyard. Clenching his teeth, Sasuke jerked his arm to shake off Hinata's grip. "All I want is for _all_ of you to leave me alone. I never needed any of you before, and I _won't start now_!"

Remembering how things were when he and Hinata first arrived, Sasuke followed the flagstone path to the gate, his steps abnormally loud in the ear-ringing silence. Miraculously, he made it through the gates and onto the sidewalk, where he turned in the direction of home.

He was almost to the corner when his foot struck an uneven spot on the ground. His momentum, too fast for his blind state, pitched him forward. He felt gravel bite into his forearms as he hit the ground.

And a moment later Hinata was there, her gentle hands on his shoulders, her breath warm on his ear as she said, "Are you all right?" The tips of her hair feathered across his skin, feeling like prickly needles in his state.

"Let go!" Sasuke shook her off and scrambled to his feet on his own, angry at Naruto, at himself, at Hinata, at the world. It seemed like every time he got close to finding that tenuous balance, to growing accustomed enough to his blindness so he could at least cope with it, he royally screwed up again. "Didn't you hear me? I just want to be left alone!"

Despite his words, and the arm he flailed out, Hinata's warmth did not move away. "I cannot," she whispered. "I made a promise to you, to do everything I could to help you get your sight back, and I _will_ _not_ go back on that promise. That is my ninja way."

He knew exactly where Hinata had gotten the idea for her _nind__ō_, and the knowledge set his teeth on edge. But the strength in her voice at that moment, the way she stood next to him even though he'd tried his best to chase her away, awoke a kind of grudging respect for her.

"Fine," Sasuke said at last. "Come with me, then." He decided it was best for his _but don't expect me to be grateful for it_ to remain unspoken.

Once again, Hinata's hand settled into the crook of his scraped and stinging arm, their strides naturally adjusting to compensate for the length difference.

Sasuke tried to tell himself it didn't feel natural, or right, or welcome.

He didn't need help. He just respected the way of ninja. If it just so happened Hyuuga Hinata wanted to make it about him, fine.

But he _didn't need help_, and he was going to _prove it_ or die trying.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ I'm very happy to report my mother's knee surgery went just fine and she's already feeling much, much better. She asked me to thank all of you for the well wishes, and she sends you all virtual hugs! I've been really excited to get to this chapter, since it was one of my favorites to write. I just want to hug Hinata in this one - it was interesting writing her, not just in this chapter, but in the entire story, really. And I also enjoyed writing Sasuke's perspective of her, changeable though it is, though I felt so horrible about what I put him through in this chapter. Poor man, so many ups and downs, mostly downs... I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, thank you for reading it (and for all your really nice comments for the last one), and I hope to see you again for next week's update!


	6. Flicker

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _wolf-enzeru_, _Ana_, _dumdeedum_, _Honeyee_, _xXYour DoomXx_, _Renoa Heartilly_, _10ShizukaYuukiMistress10_, _x Misty me x_, _MuffinMan9223_, _patheticnemesis_, _Guest_, _ariannaisgone_, _rao hyuga 18_, _mac2_, _hinatafan_, and _ZukiShi_ for all your fantastic reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Note:** I keep feeling terrible about what I'm doing to Sasuke in this story. And he never lets me forget it. But this is definitely one of the most interesting and challenging stories I've written, and and I can't help but like it anyway. I'm really glad so many of you are liking it, as well. Another very eventful chapter here - I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for reading!

* * *

***~Chapter VI~***

_~Flicker~_

* * *

"Why do you put up with him, Lady Hinata?" Neji sounded exasperated, and not a little concerned, when he asked the question.

Staring at the kettle in which she'd put water to boil for tea, Hinata bit her lower lip while she considered the question, as well as possible answers to it. Of the many ways she could respond, her well-meaning cousin would probably understand only a few.

She'd expected him to visit her after the disruption at his birthday party last night, but Hinata _hadn't_ expected that to be the first question out of his mouth when they reached the kitchen. She was glad Sasuke had once again holed up in his room, probably not even aware Neji was there.

"I made a promise, Neji." At last turning away from the kettle, Hinata prepared two cups, settling tea bags inside each to avoid having to look at her cousin. "And besides that, I _have_ to do this for myself. I want to prove I _can_ do it, to Father, and the rest of the clan..."

"You don't have to prove anything to anyone, Lady Hinata." Neji's voice, suddenly soft, made her draw in a sharp breath. "At least, you have nothing to prove to _me_."

"I know. And I appreciate your support. But I am the heiress of the clan, and I know Father is disappointed." Hinata ran the tip of her index finger along the edge of the counter, her opposite hand curling into a fist at her side. "I can't seem to find my niche. I'm not a good ninja, I'm not a good leader, and I'm only passable as a Healer."

"That's not true." Now Neji sounded stern, and the fact he'd not called her "Lady Hinata" spoke volumes. Even though she'd begged him to drop the honorific, at least when they were alone, she knew he felt it necessary to show her respect after all those years of hatred leading up to the _chuunin_ exams. "If nothing else, Lady Hokage's entrusting the Uchiha's eye treatment to you should speak volumes. If she didn't feel you could do it, she wouldn't have assigned you to him."

The kettle whistled at last. Hinata removed it from the stove and poured the steaming water into the waiting cups. She carried them across the kitchen and set them on the table, sighing when Neji stood politely until she sat. "That's not really true, either," Hinata corrected. "Like I told him last night, the Healing Touch has never been tried on eyes. There's a possibility - stronger than I like to think - it might not work. I'm just Sasuke's last hope, and that's not saying much."

Neji frowned at her; the fingers of his right hand, resting next to his still too-hot tea, rapped harshly against the tabletop once, twice, in obvious annoyance. "I'm sure he'd disagree."

Hinata didn't feel quite so certain. "Regardless, we'll find out today how well things are going. Lady Tsunade has arranged a test to measure his progress." She could only hope it would go well. She knew Sasuke had a lot of hope pinned on that test, and she didn't want to disappoint him. If he couldn't see even a glimpse of the candlelight...

"It will go just fine," Neji said firmly. "But back to my original question: why do you put up with him? You heard him just as clearly as the rest of us last night, Lady Hinata. He doesn't want anybody's help."

"He's hurting." Hinata blew on her tea a couple of times before taking a sip, allowing the soothing chamomile to warm her chilled resolve. "Think about it, Neji. He relies on his eyes and their abilities just as much as we do. For that suddenly to disappear, along with his ability to _see_, has thrown his entire world off-kilter. Things he's been able to do his whole life are suddenly difficult, if not impossible, and for a person who's so independent, that's quite a blow to absorb." Staring at the steam curling out of her cup, she sighed. "He's hurting, and I have an ability which might help. How, then, can I stand by and do nothing, even if the best I can do is _try_?"

"But if he doesn't _want_ your help..." Neji trailed off, one brow nearly disappearing beneath his Leaf headband.

"Perhaps not. But I think he does, and just doesn't want to admit it." Hinata lowered her voice and glanced over her shoulder, even though she knew Sasuke couldn't hear their conversation from his room. "He's pushing everyone away in an attempt to protect himself. If this _doesn't_ work, he's going to be hurt badly enough. For others to get close enough to see that hurt..." She shook her head. "It would just make things a hundred times worse."

With obvious reluctance, Neji nodded. "I see what you mean - even if I do think you're too kind, Lady Hinata." At last he picked up his tea and took a drink. "And you're all right here?"

"Yes. He stays out of my way, and I stay out of his. I get out a little every day by going to the market, and since he likes being alone, that works out well for both of us." Hinata rolled her shoulders to release some of the tension which had snapped into them the moment she answered the knock on the door and saw her cousin. "I'll go later today, as a matter of fact."

After taking another drink, Neji's pale eyes flickered to the clock hanging on the wall next to the door. "I need to go. I told Tenten I'd be a little late to training today. But she's got a new technique she wants to try out, and if I don't get there soon, undoubtedly she'll try it without a spotter."

Hinata politely thanked her cousin for coming - and for his concern - then waved at him as he took off, jumping across roofs to make it to Team Gai's training grounds faster. As soon as she closed the door, she slumped and let out a long breath. _I love my cousin, but sometimes his overprotectiveness drives me crazy!_

She went back to the kitchen to clean up everything. When she came back to the main room she discovered Sasuke leaning against the wall next to the door, obviously waiting for her.

"Time for therapy, right?" Though Sasuke's tone was casual, Hinata could see the lines of strain bracketing his mouth. He was hopeful, and trying not to be.

"Yes. I was just going to knock on your door to let you know." As they walked down the staircase side-by-side, Hinata realized Sasuke must have heard Neji leave and come out to wait for her. She was glad, since she always felt uncomfortable even getting close to his bedroom door.

Although she wanted to do everything she could to help him, Hinata also wanted to do everything in her power to respect his privacy.

* * *

After Hinata unwound the bandages and pulled the gauze pads off his eyes, Sasuke ventured the question which had been burning at him since he realized it was Hyuuga Neji at his front door. "So why'd your cousin show up? He want to complain about the party last night?"

Her fingers against his face went rigid for a moment, but when Hinata spoke, it was in her usual calm tone. "He just wanted to see how you were doing."

For some reason, Sasuke doubted Hinata's straight-laced, ice-cube cousin really cared enough to check on him. However, he got the feeling Neji _really_ wanted to make sure his younger cousin was being treated all right. "Did you tell him I keep you chained up in your room, but take you out for walks twice daily?" He wasn't sure where such a sarcastic comment came from, but his frustration at the older man's lack of trust kept him from biting it back.

The warmth abruptly faded from his head as Hinata removed her hands. "As a matter of fact," she said stiffly, "I told him that you have been a very satisfactory host and he had nothing to worry about."

Chastisement and Hyuuga Hinata had never been two things which went together, at least not to Sasuke's mind. But he knew he'd gone too far. Feeling duly scolded, he muttered, "I shouldn't have said that."

"No," Hinata agreed calmly. She resumed her earlier position; once again warmth flowed from her fingers through his head, centering around his eyes and the chakra pathways leading to them. "But I understand why you did."

Sasuke doubted that, but didn't comment. Instead he sat in the darkness he was becoming frighteningly accustomed to, allowing the warmth from Hinata's treatment to help him regain his inner calm. He knew he was being too hopeful about the candle test, but he couldn't help himself. If he _did_ see the light, even just the barest glimmer, all of this would be worth it. He would _finally_ know he was on the road to recovery, to regaining his sight and his Sharingan, and, most importantly, back on the road toward avenging his family by defeating his brother.

They sat in silence for a few long minutes, Sasuke trying not to fidget while Hinata concentrated. At last, he asked another question which had kept him awake most of the night before. "If the candle test works as planned, what happens then?" He held his breath while he waited for her response.

"We keep going as we have been, since it's working." Hinata shifted her fingers slightly, gliding them across his scalp under his hair.

Despite the warmth from the treatment, Sasuke felt gooseflesh ripple across his skin at the sensation. "And if it doesn't?" His voice rasped on the words.

Hinata was silent for a long moment, not even the sound of her breathing filling the sudden silence between them. Then, "We will go to Lady Tsunade and tell her what happened. What happens after that will be up to her."

From how the Hokage talked in the hospital, Sasuke knew this was the only plan the old woman had to heal his eyes. If Hinata's therapy didn't work, he would be blind for the rest of his life. And what use did Konoha - did anyone, anywhere for that matter - have for a blind shinobi? A blind _Uchiha_ shinobi, at that?

After what felt like an excruciatingly long time, Hinata finally withdrew her hands from Sasuke's head. "Keep your eyes closed, and your hands shielding them," she said. "It's _very_ important you do so. I'm going to wait to light the candle until I'm around the partition, but still - don't open your eyes until I say, all right?"

"Hn." Sasuke listened to the rustle of her clothing and the whisper of her soft-soled shoes as she went around the partition. He heard the strike of a match against a box followed by the hiss of flame, and then Hinata returning. Her foot brushed his leg as she lowered herself down across from him again.

"All right," Hinata said. "Lower your hands, but keep your eyes tightly closed."

Sasuke dropped his hands from his eyes as instructed, settling them in his lap. Tension sang through his blood, which raced through his veins with his throbbing heartbeat as he waited for Hinata to tell him the words which would either return his life to him or take it away completely.

Her hand - soft, gentle, warm - rested over his. She drew in a deep breath, then let it out in a sigh gusty enough to ruffle his hair. At long last, she said softly, "_Slowly_ open your eyes."

Though it was slightly painful, Sasuke allowed his eyelids to rise. Nausea swirled in his gut, crawling up his esophagus to his throat, leaving a nasty, acidic taste in his mouth. He swallowed back what little breakfast he'd eaten, fighting against the instinct to squint.

"It might take a moment," Hinata said, undoubtedly sensing his panic. "Your eyes will be slower to adjust than usual. As long as it's not too painful, keep them open for a little while longer." Her voice, calm and reassuring, gave him an anchor to cling to as he followed her instructions.

There! Was that a flicker of light, or was he so hopeful he just imagined it?

His face must have given him away, because Hinata asked hopefully, "Can you see it?"

"Wait," he murmured. Very slowly, Sasuke blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust again. Flipping over his hand, he grasped hers, gripping her fingers as he focused in the direction in which he thought he'd seen the flicker.

_There! It's there!_ More than a flicker this time, he could see a dim orangey-red glow, a slightly lighter outline against the usual black background. "The light! I see it!" Lifting the hand not holding hers, Sasuke pointed in the direction of the pinprick. "It's there, right?"

Hinata's fingers clenched around his. "Yes! That's exactly where it is!"

An exultant shout tore from Sasuke's throat as he lurched forward, grabbing Hinata in a tight hug. "_Thank you_," he breathed fervently. The surprising rush of gratitude flowing through him made him almost lightheaded as he kept his eyes glued to that one tiny spot of light in his otherwise dark world. "_Thank you_," he repeated. The words were not enough, but he'd find something later to show the true depth of his gratitude.

She made a soft squeaking sound, her hand nervously fluttering to rest against the back of his shoulder. "You're welcome," she said softly, warmly. "But remember, this is just the start. There's still more therapy to do before you're back to where you were."

Letting her go, Sasuke leaned back and allowed himself one more second of looking at the light before letting his lids fall shut again. "I don't care," he said strongly. "It _worked_!"

He didn't even mind when Hinata put on fresh gauze pads and wound the bandages around his eyes again. The therapy was working, and he was on the road to seeing again.

Even though he knew he'd still fumble, he could handle it, because there was finally a light on the horizon.

* * *

Sasuke's mood seemed uncharacteristically bouyant during the evening meal. He even smiled when Hinata told him about the little girl in pigtails who had followed her around the marketplace earlier in the day, before finally getting up the courage to tell Hinata she thought the Hyuuga's eyes were pretty.

"She was the most adorable little thing," Hinata said, up to her elbows in bubbles as she washed dishes. For once, Sasuke hadn't vanished right after dinner, instead keeping her company in the kitchen as she cleaned up.

"I'm never sure what to say to little kids," Sasuke admitted. "We've encountered a fair few during missions, and really, what do I talk to them about? Fortunately, most of the time it seems like they're more interested in Naruto than me, and I think he gets along with everyone." The bitterness evident in his tone the last few times he'd spoken to - or about - his teammate did not color his tone this time.

Hinata smiled down at the plate she was scrubbing. "I love children," she said. "They're so sweet and innocent. Sometimes, when things are particularly busy on the estate, I help out with the small children in daycare during the day. They're too young to go to the Academy and need supervision, and even when they're fussy, they're still somehow sweet."

Sasuke was quiet for a long time, so long in fact Hinata was beginning to wonder if she'd somehow scared him off. But then he finally spoke, the barest trace of amusement in his tone. "You want a lot of kids, then?"

Heat crawled up her neck into her face, and Hinata felt grateful Sasuke couldn't see her. How many times had she stayed awake long into the night imagining the Hokage tower filled with the cheerful blond-haired, Byakugan-eyed offspring of her and Naruto? "A fair few, yes," she said. Thankfully, her voice did not shake and embarrass her further.

"Hn." The sound seemed somehow thoughtful, and Hinata wondered if he was thinking about reviving his clan. She thought about children who looked a lot like Sasuke did during their Academy days, with those cheerful dark eyes and that oddly gravity-defying spiky dark hair.

She slid a glance at him out of the corner of her eye, feeling somehow sad at the difference between the boy of her memories and the man seated across the room from her now. Sasuke used to be so cheerful - not in the same prankster way as Naruto, but he always seemed so happy. He'd even spoken to her a few times on the playground during recess, when they would be in line for the slide together, or next to each other on the swings.

But then his clan was slaughtered, and after that he always struck Hinata as dark, brooding - _angry_. The cheerfulness was gone from his expression, the light from his eyes. He'd seemed dangerous then, in a way Hinata had never encountered before - save for her limited contact with her cousin, except even stronger.

The hatred radiating from him had been almost palpable. She always made sure to avoid him on the playground, or during practice with weapons and sparring. He had completely changed, and Hinata didn't like it. Though Naruto never really noticed her, she gravited toward him, drawn by his cheerfulness and determination, so different from the new Sasuke.

She wondered if Sasuke remembered any of that. Or did he actively try to avoid any memories of his childhood, since so many of them were colored by the spilled blood of his clan and the darkness of his brother's violent hatred?

As Hinata shut the cabinet door after putting away the last bowl, Sasuke stood. "I'm going to bed," he said. He paused in the doorway, face turned toward her, and Hinata felt almost certain he was looking at her, even though bandages covered his closed eyes. "Thanks again, Hinata. Good night."

Even though he couldn't see, Hinata smiled. "I'm glad it's working. Good night, Sasuke."

When the door to Sasuke's bedroom clicked shut, Hinata checked to make sure the front door was locked, then picked up the book she'd left in the main room earlier and headed for her own bedroom after flipping off the light.

Gathering her pajamas and a couple of scented candles, Hinata went to the bathing room and settled in for a long, hot soak to reward herself for a job well done on Sasuke's therapy. She lingered for several chapters of her book, until the water cooled and her skin turned wrinkly, then drained the tub, dried off, dressed, and slipped quietly to her bedroom.

Sleepy from her bath, Hinata crawled into bed and fell almost straight to sleep. Her dreams, fueled by the successes of the day, were sweet and encouraging.

Until a cry from the next room shattered them, bringing her awake in an instant.

For a moment Hinata felt confused and disoriented, unsure of where she was and what was going on. But when the cry repeated itself, even louder, everything clicked quickly into place.

Scrambling out from beneath her covers, Hinata ran across the room, slammed open the door, and charged into the hall. She skidded to a halt, however, in front of the barrier between her and Sasuke: his bedroom door.

Sasuke had told her never to enter his room. She knew how much he valued his privacy, and how angry he would be if she ever broke her promise not to do so. But clearly he was having a nightmare. She needed to wake him up, since he was at a higher risk than usual of hurting himself.

"_No_!"

The half-screamed word made up her mind for her. Grasping the handle, Hinata shoved open the door and entered the one place in Sasuke's flat she'd not seen before.

Her eyes raked across the room, taking in everything in an instant. The moonlight flowing through the open windows highlighted a bureau, the half-open closet door, a nightstand, and the bed, where Sasuke was twisting violently, the sheets tangled around his legs and (bare!) torso.

It took only another instant for her to see the deep scratches on his face from where he'd been clawing at the bandages, which were rapidly coming unwound. Just another second, and-

"Sasuke, no!" She lurched forward, desperate to wake him, to stop him, before he undid all the good they'd just witnessed earlier in the day.

At the same moment, Sasuke jerked upright in bed, the bandages falling away from his eyes as he shouted, "Naruto, don't-!"

Hinata tripped over a pillow on the floor, which Sasuke must have thrown during his nightmare. She scrambled to retain her balance, her eyes on the bandages, now around his neck, and on the gauze pads which seemed to be peeling away from his eyes in slow motion...

And then, Sasuke did the unthinkable. One hand lashing out blindly, he growled, "_Sharingan_!"

The result was instantaneous. Sasuke's gutteral growl turned into a gut-wrenching, blood-chilling scream of agony as he buckled in on himself, hands raising to his head, body twisting with the sheer strength of his pain.

As Hinata reached out for him, one thought speared through her desperation to help him: _Oh, Sasuke, what have you done?_

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ I have been _so_ mean to Sasuke in this fic. I really have. And he doesn't let me forget it. He fought me tooth and nail the whole time, but I still can't help but like this fic. I've never really liked canonical Sasuke - he's always been a more fun character in AUs for me - but exploring him and his thought processes in this fic has made me appreciate him a little more. On another note, I know I referenced possible NaruHina kids in this chapter, but is it just me, or is the idea kind of freaky? It's not just because I don't like the pairing - the idea of blond, white-eyed kids is just creepy. Too much paleness. Then again, a SasuHina kid with a Byakugan and a Sharingan is creepy, too... Which is why I always write them with one or the other, never both at the same time. But that's off-topic. Thank you so much for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!


	7. Control

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Shahar Mystral_, _MuffinMan9223_, _wolf-enzeru_, _Renoa Heartilly_, _britata348_, _hinatafan_, _Honeyee_, _Kia-B_, _xXYour DoomXx_, _orangemystery_, _patheticnemesis_, _OrangeisMe_, _cooper80_, _Kibachow_, _maxinecortes_, _ Stacey. and .stars_, _10ShizukaYuukiMistress10_, _Hinatafan (2)_, _ZukiShi_, _aisha89_, _unknown90s_, _Guest_, and _rao hyuga 18_ for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and follows lists - I'm so grateful to all of you!

**Author's Note:** Some of you have voiced some concerns about where I plan to go with the story, and I will say this: it won't be easy - will, in fact, be incredibly difficult in places - but I _am_ a fan of happy endings. Thank you all _so_ much for your reviews for the last chapter - we've broken 100! I literally screamed when I checked and saw that number, and then again when it went five beyond that! I appreciate your feedback and support so much. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

***~Chapter VII~***

_~Control~_

* * *

"Close your eyes, Sasuke!" Simultaneously activating her Byakugan, Hinata landed hard on the mattress in front of Sasuke's hunched form, threading her hands through his arms so she could try to tilt his face up to hers. "Close your eyes!"

She felt the hair on the back of her neck and along her arms prickle in warning, at the same time seeing the increasing flow of chakra into his right hand. Hating herself even as she did it, she charged her fingertips with her own chakra and rapidly drove them into some of Sasuke's more important _tenketsu_, blocking his instinctive _chidori_ before he could complete the charge.

His screams faded to gasps. However, he twisted away from her every time she tried to get close to his face. An uncharacteristic growl of frustration left her lips, but Hinata didn't give up. She had to hurry: to make sure his eyes were closed, to assess the damage, to try to reverse it as much as possible as quickly as possible...

"Sasuke! Hinata!"

The panicked hail from the open window was as unexpected as it was welcome. Hinata didn't dare take her eyes from Sasuke's form, but she turned her head slightly in Naruto's direction as she said, "Quickly! He had a nightmare and ripped off his bandages. I need to get this room as dark as we can as fast as we can, but I can't leave him. Help me!"

She heard a thump as Naruto propelled himself through the window into the room. A moment later, the window slammed shut; then the blinds zipped down. She sensed Naruto rushing out of the room towards the bathing room, then returning a moment later, his arms filled with towels. A moment later the tendrils of light still filtering into the room vanished almost completely.

But Hinata didn't know if it was in time. Still gently but determinedly trying to get Sasuke to calm down, she ordered, "N-Naruto, I need you to go get Lady Tsunade. I'm going to try to get him calmed down-" she avoided a punch to her head, glad she had the Byakugan activated so she could see it coming in the darkness "-and then do a therapy session now to try to minimize the damage. But I'm going to need her to check him over when I'm done to make sure there's nothing I missed."

"But is he gonna be okay?" Naruto sounded anxious, almost scared, his voice so low she almost didn't hear him.

"Yes," Hinata snapped, just to get him moving. She hated making the promise, since she didn't know. But she needed Naruto to get Lady Tsunade since she didn't dare leave Sasuke. "Now _go_!"

Naruto's stumbling footsteps hurried across the room; she heard a muffled curse as he tripped over a towel he'd dropped on the way in. The door opened, letting in a very brief flash of light, then shut again, and he was gone.

Now she could turn her full attention to Sasuke. She sensed him tiring, and used that to her advantage. Hinata raised her voice to be heard over the Uchiha's panicked mutterings and said in as imperious a voice as she could muster, "Sasuke, _calm down_!"

He hesitated, surprised, just long enough for her to secure his wrists. Hinata used all her strength to keep them pinned as she focused on his eyes, cringing at the fresh damage searing its way across his chakra paths. If he'd just pulled down the bandages, the moonlight wasn't bright enough to hurt his healing eyes that badly. But the fact he'd tried to activate his bloodlimit...

"Hinata?" Sasuke's voice, raspy from where he'd been screaming, sounded low and uncertain. "What - what's happening?"

"Don't open your eyes," Hinata told him quickly. Now he seemed to be aware of himself, she very slowly released his wrists, lifting her hands to his head and settling into the now-familiar stance she used for his therapy. "You were having a nightmare. You tore off your bandages, and you tried to activate your Sharingan."

Sasuke hissed as Hinata started the therapy, every part of him touching her feeling tense. "My eyes..."

"I'm trying to minimize the damage now," Hinata breathed, focusing her chakra on the worst of it. "This might hurt a bit, but please don't move." Her work was delicate at the best of times; now, when she was having to work so quickly, the slightest wrong move on either of their parts could prove disastrous.

He sounded groggy when he spoke again. "What's wrong with my arm? It hurts - won't move."

She smothered her instinctive urge to cringe, hating herself for reacting the way she did. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "You were beyond comprehension when I reached you - still caught in the nightmare. You were getting ready to use _chidori_ on me-"

"-So you blocked my _tenketsu_," Sasuke finished. He sounded unsurprised, and extremely begrudging.

"Not all of them." An infinitismal reassurance, indeed. And she knew it.

But at least it made her guilty conscience feel a little better.

Sasuke stayed quiet for a while, for which Hinata was grateful. But she sensed he wanted to ask her another question, and sure enough, he finally queried, "How bad is the damage?"

"Not unfixable." Hinata longed to roll her neck and shoulders to ease the tension coiled there, but she didn't dare do any movements which would jar her hands. "But I will not lie to you - it is bad. You have lost what little sight you regained, and we will undoubtedly have to do therapy even longer. At this point, I'm not sure _how_ much longer."

Thanks to her Byakugan, she saw his left hand clench into a fist where it rested on his knee. "So _stupid_," he muttered. "And just when I was starting to get it back..."

"It wasn't stupid," Hinata said firmly. "You were having a nightmare. None of us can control our instinctive reactions when we're trapped in a nightmare."

"I am shinobi!" Sasuke pounded his fist against his knee. "_I_ should have had control."

"Don't move!" Hinata repeated crisply, then nipped the end of her tongue to keep herself from commenting further. Sasuke was just as human, thus as susceptible to mistakes, as the rest of them. But she also knew he held himself to a standard above everyone else, and to fall short of that frustrated him. As if he weren't already angry enough at his circumstances...

She'd just withdrawn her hands when a sharp knock on the door preceded Lady Tsunade's entrance. "Naruto told me what happened," she said sharply. "How is the patient?"

At last Hinata allowed herself the luxury of rolling her neck and shoulders, wincing at the hot needles of pain prickling through them, as she ceded her place on the bed to the Hokage, whose loosely braided hair and darkly circled eyes indicated she'd been dragged out of a deep sleep. "I did a therapy session immediately," she reported. "I couldn't reverse _all_ the damage, not without inflicting more trauma on his eyes. But I do believe I managed to stop it from growing worse."

Sasuke made a disgusted sound. "I _am_ sitting right here."

"Naruto told me he took the bandages off," Tsunade said. Charging her hands with chakra, she moved them steadily across Sasuke's eyes, examining, assessing. "Was there something else?"

"I tried to activate the Sharingan," Sasuke said, cutting off Hinata's answer. "I know, stupid move."

"Ill timed, perhaps, but out of your control. -Naruto, open the blinds to give me a little light. And then you can jump back to your own flat. Sasuke, you keep your eyes firmly shut." As the blond ninja quickly moved to obey, Tsunade reached into the pocket of her voluminous green coat and pulled out a small bundle. Unrolling it, she revealed fresh gauze pads and bandages, which she deftly applied to Sasuke's eyes after cleaning his self-inflicted scratches with an antiseptic wipe. "Fortunately, thanks to Hinata's quick thinking, you should be back on track with your therapy in a few days."

"So it's not that bad?" A shred of hope sounded clearly in Sasuke's voice.

Hinata saw Tsunade frown. "I wouldn't say _that_. I know you can't control your nightmares, Sasuke, but I would advise you to be as careful as you can. Though things turned out mostly all right this time, I cannot promise the same result if you have a repeat of tonight. If necessary, I can prescribe medication to keep you asleep through the night." The Hokage climbed off the bed, tucking her small parcel of medical supplies back into her pocket. "For now, try to get back to sleep. Despite everything you _do_ need rest." She hesitated, then said dryly, "In fact, I think _all_ of us do."

Trailing Lady Tsunade back into the hall, Hinata waited for the elder to close the door before she spoke. "I'm sorry, milady."

The Hokage's brows shot upwards, her amber eyes full of surprise as she looked at the young Hyuuga heiress. "Why are you apologizing?"

Avoiding the other woman's gaze, Hinata stared down at her bare toes peeking out from beneath the hems of her lavender pajama pants. "If I had wakened sooner, gotten to him sooner..." She trailed off, ashamed.

Tsunade's hand, strong yet gentle, rested on Hinata's shoulder. "Hinata, listen to me. I am _very_ proud of you. You kept a level head and did the best thing in the situation. You sent Naruto to get me and remained with Sasuke, starting therapy on him as soon as you got him calmed down. You prevented a terrible situation from getting even worse - perhaps even tragically so. He'll suffer no permanent damage from this episode, Hinata. You did very well."

Tears prickled behind Hinata's eyes, but she nodded. Even despite the Hokage's praise, she still felt like a failure. There were a hundred different things she could have done - if only she had responded sooner, moved faster, been stronger...

A quick, reassuring squeeze, and then Lady Tsunade let go of Hinata's shoulder. "I can tell just by looking at you - you're dead on your feet. A normal therapy session is draining on you, and I know this one was even more arduous. You go on back to bed." She moved past Hinata, down the hall, but stopped in the doorway to the main room. "I'll stop by Naruto's flat on the way back home to let him know what's going on. You go straight to sleep."

"Yes, milady." Hinata swallowed thickly and bowed to the Hokage, waiting respectfully until the woman had left before shuffling into her room. Her head and shoulders ached terribly, her mouth feeling as dry as Suna's desert wasteland. But the exhaustion tugging at her eyelids overruled the rest. She tumbled into bed, too tired even to pull the blankets all the way up before she fell asleep.

* * *

For the second time since coming to Uchiha Sasuke's apartment, Hinata woke to the sound of banging and swearing.

Shocked to realize how late she'd slept, Hinata scrambled out of bed and raced to the kitchen, wondering what mess she would find there this time.

Sasuke - barefoot, dressed in sleep pants, and still shirtless - stood next to the sink, his left hand under a gushing flow of water. On the counter next to him sat the chopping board, holding the remnants of what Hinata thought might have been a tomato, and a knife.

"Sasuke!" His name came out of her mouth half as a gasp, half a squeal, she was so shocked.

His dark head turned slightly in her direction. Hinata somehow knew if Sasuke's eyes weren't covered in bandages, he'd be glaring at her. "So you finally decided to wake up, did you?"

A furious blush rose into Hinata's cheeks, and she hunched her shoulders under Sasuke's blistering reprimand. "I'm sorry."

"Hn." Sasuke stuck his other hand under the water, feeling along two of his left fingers. He growled unintelligibly, then said (presumably to her), "You remember where the first aid kit is?"

"You cut yourself." Hinata had suspected so when she came out and saw the knife and his hand under the water, but she'd been hoping she was wrong.

"Thank you for your brilliant observation. Go get the first aid kit, Hyuuga." Sasuke propped his dripping right hand against the edge of the counter, a muscle in his jaw twitching - with pain or annoyance, Hinata couldn't tell - as he tilted his left hand under the water flow.

Hinata hurried to the wash room, got the first aid kit, then came back to the kitchen. "I've got it."

Sasuke turned off the water, then felt around until he found a towel. Wrapping it around his injured hand, he felt his way over to the table and sat down on his usual cushion. "'Bout time."

Gritting her teeth against the words begging to escape, Hinata sank down next to him and flipped open the lid of the kit. "Unwrap your hand, please," she requested.

Laying his hand on the table, Sasuke unwound the towel, keeping it between his skin and the table so as not to get blood everywhere. "How bad is it?"

"I don't think you'll need stitches, but the one is pretty deep." Sasuke's index finger had a clean slice from the tip to the first knuckle, and he'd somehow managed to clip his middle finger right next to the nail. "Most of the bleeding has stopped, so I can use butterfly strips to close the gashes and wrap them now. I - I'm sorry I can't use the Healing Touch on them, but after last night's intense session..." She let her voice trail off uncertainly.

"Hn." He sat still as Hinata squeezed some antibiotic cream on the cuts, then bandaged them individually. She tested to make sure they were tight enough to keep the bleeding from starting again, but not so tight he'd lose circulation in his fingers.

"There," she said. As she reassembled the first aid kit, she asked, "What were you doing?"

Sasuke frowned. "What did it look like I was doing? I woke up, and I was hungry. You weren't up yet, so I thought I'd eat a little something while I waited for you." He lifted his right hand and rubbed absently at his left shoulder, close to his neck.

Hinata closed the lid of the kit with a _snap_ which pretty much echoed that of her nerves. "You could have woke me up, you know."

"I heard Lady Tsunade tell you to go to sleep last night. I figured you must have been tired after that therapy session, so I didn't want to wake you up." Sasuke picked up the wet, bloody towel and got to his feet. "I _can_ take care of myself, you know."

Snatching up the first aid kit, Hinata sprang up and glared at Sasuke, wishing she could set his ridiculously spiky hair on fire with her gaze. "I can see you were doing that quite well, yes." Despite how long and well she'd slept, she still felt tired. And irritated. And frustrated.

And disappointed in herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hinata saw Sasuke's knuckles whiten as he gripped the towel. "_Who_ cut herself the other day?" he asked, voice low and dangerous.

"That's different - I can _see_ what I'm doing! The knife was a little dull and it slipped." As soon as the words left her mouth, Hinata wished she could snatch them back.

What part of Sasuke's face she could see hardened. Clenching his jaw, he shoved past her, shoulder impacting her so hard she nearly fell backward onto the table. Though she managed to retain her balance, barely, the corner jabbed painfully into her calf. "I'm not hungry anymore." He slammed out through the kitchen door; a moment later, his bedroom door followed suit.

Hinata realized her hand was trembling as she lifted it to her face to pinch the bridge of her nose. The headache from the night before returned with a vicious stab of pain. She winced as she sank back down on the cushion on her side of the table. "_Baka_!" she scolded herself. "Why did you _say_ that to him?"

For a moment she sat in silence, elbow propped on the table, forehead cradled in her cupped hand. She'd expected Sasuke to be in a bad mood, but absolutely not to explode like he had.

Finally she lifted her head and checked her leg. A small but very sore, angry bruise was already developing.

Dragging herself from the table, Hinata put the kit away before going through her usual morning routine. Five minutes after leaving it, she found herself back in the kitchen, where she cleaned up the chopping board and its contents. Then she fixed herself cinnamon rolls and drowned in their sweet, warm comfort, wondering if she should put together a tray and leave it outside Sasuke's room.

As she cleaned up, Sasuke made the decision for her. He appeared in the kitchen doorway, fully dressed this time, and asked, "Are we doing a therapy session this morning, too?"

Rinsing the suds off her hands and wrists, Hinata studied him critically, wondering if he'd go off on her again the moment she spoke. Deciding he looked a bit calmer, she dried her hands as she moved across the kitchen to the food she'd been keeping warm on the stove. "No, we can't. It wouldn't be good for your eyes to have two sessions that close together. We'll pick up our usual schedule again tomorrow morning." She set the plate in her hands on the table, making sure it was loud enough for him to hear. "I kept some breakfast warm for you. Hungry?" She went back to the sink, watching him out of the corner of her eyes.

Sasuke edged his way over to the table, lowering himself down on his cushion as he sniffed. "I smell cinnamon. Is it sweets?" he asked suspiciously.

_Would serve him right if it was._ Firmly smacking the ungracious thought back to the depths from which it came, Hinata forced herself to laugh casually. "No. I had cinnamon rolls, but I made the usual for you."

"Hn." He picked up his chopsticks and poked at the contents of his plate for a moment, as if to make sure she was telling the truth. Apparently satisfied, he picked up a bite and put it in his mouth.

But he only took a few bites before he set his chopsticks down again. "You know, I'm really not that hungry. If we're not going to be doing a therapy session, I'm just - going to go."

"I'm sorry!" Hinata blurted.

Sasuke hesitated, one hand on the kitchen door. "For what?" He turned his head toward her, what she could see of his expression confused.

Looking down into the dishwater, Hinata absently ran the dish cloth over the plate she held as she said, "I know when I first came here, you told me never to go into your room. And I - and I did, last night. So I wanted to say I'm sorry."

He was silent for so long Hinata thought he might have left the kitchen and not even heard her. But when she looked over her shoulder, she saw him still standing there, a dumbstruck expression on his face.

"Hyuuga," he said slowly, as if he sensed her looking at him, "you apologize for the strangest things." He left the kitchen, but this time, the bedroom door closed softly behind him.

Hinata blinked at the empty kitchen doorway, wondering if she was still asleep and this whole morning was a dream.

If not, she was sorely tempted to go back to bed and get up on the other side. Because if the day got any crazier, she very well might be tempted to quit - promise or no promise.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ No Sasuke POV in this chapter, but there will be in the next, I promise. And it won't be too much longer until you find out what his nightmare was about... Also, in reviews for the last chapter, a few of you voiced some concerns about where I plan to go with the story. For you, and anyone else who might wonder if I'm planning an _un_happy ending, I will say this: it won't be easy - will, in fact, be incredibly difficult in places - but I _am_ a _huge_ fan of happy endings. Thank you all _so_ much for your reviews for the last chapter - we've broken 100! I literally screamed when I checked and saw that number, and then again when it went five beyond that! I appreciate your feedback and support so much. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!


	8. Nerve

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _xXYour DoomXx_, _misao97_,_ Shahar Mystral_, _MuffinMan9223_,_ Ana_, _unknown90s_, _miaandB_, _Kia-B_, _Renoa Heartilly_, _CallMeSenseiKuchiki_, _Skye Ai_, _Honeyee_, _nuriiko_, _Kibachow_, _Guest_, _Lems_, _Atykka_, _aisha89_, _Saki-Hime_, _Toadettegirl2012_, _emired_, _ZukiShi_, _rao hyuga 18_, and _oCloudNine_ for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who keeps adding this story to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Note:**So many exciting things happening in this chapter! I enjoyed writing it _so_ much, and I'm so excited to be able to share it with you all, _finally_! Especially that ending... And there are also a few clues about things to come later in the story, which I'm also really excited about. So thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

***~Chapter VIII~***

_~Nerve~_

* * *

Konoha at night was peaceful, quiet. With only the sound of the night guards passing - and then only audible to a fellow ninja's ears - and the chirping and chirring of night birds and insects, it provided the perfect atmosphere for a good night's sleep.

It was beginning to drive Sasuke crazy.

A week had passed since the nightmare which had stolen what little sight he'd regained. Hinata promised they'd try the candle again in the morning, and she sounded reasonably certain he could expect the same results as last time.

Sasuke didn't want to get his hopes up. After a week of trying to make himself stay awake so he wouldn't have another damaging nightmare, exhaustion followed him around like a dismal cloud. He longed to climb into his bed and sleep until the fatigue left him alone - however long it took - but he knew he couldn't.

So at night he sat next to the open window, allowing the sounds and the night breeze to wash over him. When sleepiness got particularly bad, he ate a chakra pill or two, just to take the edge off. He knew he shouldn't, particularly since he wasn't doing anything into which he could channel the excess chakra, so they made him jittery. But it kept him awake, so they served their purpose.

Even though he'd thought (and halfway hoped) it wouldn't happen, he was getting used to Hinata being around. Other than her coming into his room during the nightmare, she'd respected his space and left him alone, just as she'd promised. She did his therapy, fixed their meals, and kept the place (and their laundry) clean.

It was kind of like having a housewife. Sasuke wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.

He also found he could take short naps in her presence, without having nightmares. So during the day, he'd snatch a few minutes of sleep here and there, which also made it a little easier to stay awake at night. At least he didn't have to stay awake at _all_ hours.

Absently, Sasuke lifted his right hand to rub at the three comma-shaped black marks on his shoulder - the curse mark Orochimaru had left on him during the _chuunin_ exams. The seal Kakashi-sensei had put upon it still held, though the _jounin_ did strengthen it every now and then just to make sure it didn't break at the wrong time. It was nearly time for another, but Sasuke wanted to wait until he got his sight back. It wasn't like he could use his chakra to fight right now, anyway.

After a long while, Sasuke felt warmth start to prickle along his skin: the sun was rising. He listened intently, having to wait only a few minutes before he heard Hinata stirring in her room. Then her light footsteps pattered down the hall, and the sounds of breakfast being prepared soon reached his ears.

Sasuke dragged himself away from the window and dressed for the day. Leaving the room, he shut the door firmly behind him and made his way down the hall to the kitchen, wondering if he'd worn a path in the floor yet. It seemed like that was all he did any more, go from his room to the kitchen and back.

"Good morning!" Hinata's cheerful voice greeted him as he entered the kitchen. The familiar smells of breakfast washed over him; he discreetly inhaled as he headed for the table. She might be the Hyuuga clan's heiress, with all the privileges which accompanied such a prestigious title, but she could do things he'd never thought such a person would lower herself to do. And all of it without a single complaint.

"Morning," Sasuke muttered. Her cheerfulness tended to grate on his nerves - especially since he knew it was born from a good night's sleep. He was beginning to forget what such a thing was like.

"Did you sleep well?" Hinata did something which made a distinct sizzling sound come from the direction of the stove.

Sasuke scowled as he sank down on his cushion at the table. This was the biggest consequence he paid for not telling her of his plan to remain awake at night: every morning, she asked the same annoying question. "Didn't wake you up with my nightmares, did I?" It was neither a confirmation nor a denial - the safest answer he could give.

"So you didn't have any?" The sizzling died down to murmur.

"No," he said honestly.

"Good." Hinata's feet slapped softly against the floor as she moved across the kitchen from the stove to the sink. As the water ran, she said, "We'll do your therapy right after breakfast, and then try the candle test again. I have a good feeling, Sasuke. In fact, you might see even _clearer_ than before!"

And wouldn't _that_ be nice. He wasn't going to hold his breath. "Hn."

* * *

Hinata had a feeling Sasuke wasn't as enthusiastic about today's therapy session as she. Silent and surly all through breakfast, he didn't say a word to her as they descended to the basement. Once there, she unwound his bandages and began his therapy, all in uncomfortable silence. It was obvious he didn't want to converse, and though she hated the strange quiet between them, she respected his wishes and held her own tongue.

As she went about her daily duty, Hinata marveled at how much better Sasuke's eyes looked and felt. Her delicate work was doing its job better than even she had anticipated. If his rate of healing kept up at this pace, he could go outside without the bandages within the week. Within a couple of weeks after that, she expected he'd have full use of his Sharingan again.

After seeing how things went with the candle test, Hinata would share her thoughts with Sasuke. She'd have a better sense of the timeframe then, anyway.

When at last she finished the therapy, Hinata sat back on her heels and smiled. "Do you remember what we did last time?" she asked softly.

"Hn." Sasuke lifted his hands to his eyes, shielding them as she went around the screens and lit the candle. For a moment she stared into the bright flame, thankful she could see it, praying he would be able to, as well. Though she felt sure he would - and even better than last time - if by some chance she had missed some damage accidentally...

But no. _This _will_ work._

Slipping back around the screen, Hinata knelt in front of Sasuke and focused on his face. The scant light from the candle filtering through the screen cast shadows across his face, bringing his pale cheekbones into sharp relief and hints of blue in his black hair. "All right," she whispered. "Very slowly, lower your hands and open your eyes. Again, if you feel any pain, close them immediately and let me know."

Hinata's breath caught in her throat as Sasuke followed her instructions. His hands lowered, long fingers curling into fists as he settled them against his thighs. His eyelids - the raw red wounds now fading into silvery scars - fluttered slightly, then swept slowly open. She watched his unfocused dark gaze dart around uncertainly for a moment, and he blinked.

But then she saw his eyes focus, sharpen. He turned his head and looked directly at the screen, in front of which the candle flickered. "I see it." He cleared his throat and blinked again, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "The screen in front of the candle is dark blue, with some kind of gold splotches on it - yes?" For a moment, uncertainty colored his tone.

The breath rushed out of Hinata on a loud, relieved sigh. "Yes!" she affirmed. "It _is_ dark blue, with a gold dragon pattern. You can see it?"

"Not the dragons," Sasuke said with a shake of his head. "But I see the candlelight, and I can make out the color of the screen, and the color of the pattern." Excitement vibrated in his voice, deepening it, richening his tones. "I can _see_!" He pounded his fist against his right thigh once, twice, thrice, sharply punctuating his following words. "_I - can - see_!"

Hinata grinned, feeling vindicated in a way she'd never felt before. "And much more than I anticipated!" She slapped her hands against her own thighs, already planning out the menu for a celebratory dinner. "At this rate, we'll be able to leave the bandages off in about a week. Within the next ten to fourteen days you should be able to use your Sharingan again." And she'd be moving back home, word of her success spreading as she did so. She could hold her head high now, knowing she deserved the title of Hyuuga heiress.

Sasuke enjoyed his freedom a little while longer, then Hinata replaced the gauze pads and bandages. After blowing out the candle, they headed back up to Sasuke's flat as Hinata said, "I'm thinking about arranging a bit of a celebratory dinner tonight. Would you mind if I invited your team, if they're not out on a mission?" She felt it would be good for him, having his team - his friends - around him. It would certainly improve his mood, she hoped.

As they entered his flat and took off their shoes, Sasuke finally sighed and said, "I guess you might as well. This is a good way to get them all in one place so I can tell them all at once, instead of having to track them all down one by one."

By taking in reverse the same route Naruto had used to get to Sasuke's flat a week before, Hinata jumped from the balcony outside the Uchiha's home to that outside the Uzumaki's. Once there, she knocked on the door, relieved the hyperactive blond shinobi was home. She quickly told him about the dinner, and Naruto promised to tell Sakura and Kakashi about it.

Returning to Sasuke's balcony, Hinata stepped inside, slipped off her shoes, and headed for the kitchen. She passed her patient, who sat on one of the cushions at the sitting room table. One elbow propped on its surface, his head rested in his hand, and if she didn't know better, she'd think he was asleep.

Just in case, she quietly crept past him to the kitchen, where she got started on the evening meal. The rest of Team Kakashi would be arriving in only five short hours, so she had a lot to do to get ready.

* * *

"So then," Naruto said, laughing so hard he nearly fell off his cushion, "Kiba was _so_ shocked by what Chouji said that he sucked some ramen down the wrong pipe, and he choked! He had noodles coming out of his-"

"Not at the dinner table, you idiot!" Sakura slapped Naruto upside the back of his head, her apple green eyes glinting murderously. "That's beyond disgusting."

"Now, children," Kakashi said, his unscarred eye closed as he waved his hands placatingly, "don't make me separate you two."

Hinata wondered if all Team Kakashi dinners were like this. Naruto and Sakura arguing, Kakashi trying to be peacemaker, and Sasuke sitting there with a vein pounding visibly in his forehead. Everyone (with the exception of Sasuke) seemed to be in good spirits, though. Perhaps it would rub off...

"So, Sasuke." Sakura cleared her throat, glaring Naruto into submission before she continued. "I know Hinata said this dinner is to celebrate your progress, but really, how good is it?" The pointed way she _wasn't_ looking at Sasuke's bandages made it clear what she meant.

"He was able to see the light of a candle on the other side of a screen today, as well as tell the color of the screen and that it had a gold pattern," Hinata said, smiling. "At this rate, we'll be able to take the bandages off - and leave them off - within the next five days or so."

"And I'll have full use of my Sharingan in the next ten to fourteen days." Sasuke seemed to be in a considerably better mood when he imparted that piece of knowledge. "So I'll be back on Team Kakashi before you know it."

"Thank _goodness_," Naruto burst out. Setting down his chopsticks, he threw wide his arms, nearly smacking Sakura in the head in the process, and went on to explain. "The replacement is _nothing_ like you, Sasuke. I mean, the guy thinks calling someone ugly is being nice! I thought for sure Sakura was going to beat his brains out or something, she was _so_ mad."

"Would have served him right," the pink-haired kunoichi in question muttered. "I am _not_ ugly. That's Ino-pig."

"And _then_, on our most recent mission, the guy just packed up and left in the middle of the night - _smack_ in the middle of the mission!" Naruto shook his raised fist, blue eyes glittering angrily. "He showed up a few hours later saying he'd been chasing somebody. But I think-"

"Naruto," Kakashi said warningly. He held his cup up to his face, but Hinata didn't see how he could possibly have eaten as much as he had - his plate was nearly empty - or gotten a single sip of his tea without removing his mask. She certainly had never seen the black piece of fabric move throughout the entire meal, and she'd been watching. "Sai isn't like the rest of us. He was trained by Danzou, who, as you know, is head of the Root faction. The best the we can do is be patient with him, and try to work with him as best we can until Sasuke's back."

"Which will hopefully be sooner rather than later." Naruto sighed loudly and ate another big bite of his sashimi.

"If I have anything to say about it," Sasuke said, "it _will_ be." He pushed his plate - only half empty - away and picked up his tea cup, looking uninterested in the food which Hinata felt sure he would have finished any other night. "I'm sick of just sitting around doing nothing. Hinata won't even let me train."

Hinata thoughtfully did not mention the reason _why_. She didn't think Sasuke wanted his teammates and sensei to know he'd nearly cracked his head open the one time he'd tried it since he'd been released from the hospital.

"We'll have you right back in shape in no time," Kakashi said cheerfully, setting down his cup. (Though it was almost empty, Hinata still hadn't seen his mask even so much as twitch. Did he absorb his sustenance through osmosis, perhaps?) "As soon as you can take off your bandages, you can get right back in training." He glanced at Hinata, then cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head. "That is," he added sheepishly, "if Hinata and Lady Hokage clear you, of course."

"As long as he doesn't try to use his Sharingan too soon, I don't see how that would be a problem." Hinata took a sip of her tea, feeling warm and happy. The dinner seemed to have been a success, and she sensed Sasuke loosening up a bit. With the promise of being able to see again quite close, she could almost sit and watch the tension and stress visibly drain right out of him.

Naruto had just opened his mouth - presumably to ask yet another question - when a knock on the door interrupted him.

Sasuke arched one eyebrow and said dryly, "You invite someone else, Hinata?"

Confused, the Hyuuga heiress got to her feet and bowed apologetically before hurrying toward the front door. "No, I didn't," she called back to him. Pushing her hair over her shoulder with one hand, she opened the door with the other, surprised to see a pale, dark-haired man of about her own age standing there.

Before she could say anything, he looked her over - a quick glance down, then back up - and said with an obviously fake smile, "Are Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi here, by any chance?"

Hinata blinked, for a moment rendered absolutely speechless by the man's very obvious perusal. Resisting the urge to cross her arms over her chest self-consciously, she said, "Y-yes. Might I ask why you're here?"

The false smile disappeared, and ink-dark eyes nailed Hinata with an intense, very business-like look. "I am Sai, the temporary member of Team Kakashi. We are required for a mission immediately."

Five minutes later, the only sign of guests left in the flat was the mess in the kitchen. Hinata stood staring at the dishes littering the table and sighed. Sakura apologized for having to rush out, saying she'd intended to help clear the table after they'd finished eating. Hinata simply shook her head and reassured her friend it was all right. After all, many of her own meals had been interrupted by a summons for emergency missions.

She only wondered why, after Kakashi had briefly spoken with Sai in an undertone before the group left, the _jounin_ had looked so worried. He'd also thrown a glance in Sasuke's direction, started to say something, then shook his head and offered his excuses and thanks. Did the team leader feel as stressed about having Sai on the team, and Sasuke off it, as Naruto and Sakura?

"I should be going." Sasuke flexed his hands, easing them into and out of fists as a muscle in his jaw ticked. "I _hate_ being stuck here!"

Hinata looked up from clearing the table. "Just a few more days," she said soothingly. "I'm sure by the time Team Kakashi are sent on their next mission, you'll at least be back in training. It won't be much longer you'll be stuck here with those bandages on."

Sasuke grunted, apparently back in the same surly mood out of which she'd been trying to snap him with the dinner. Sighing, Hinata carried the stack of dishes in her hands from the table to the sink and started the water running so she could clean them. Sometimes she wondered if he ever had a _good_ mood, or if his moody silence was the norm. Before now, she'd never really had a chance to spend significant time around the brooding Uchiha, and she wondered if this was what he was really like.

Immersed in suds up to her elbows, Hinata continued, "If they're still gone when you're released to start training, I'll go with you - if you like. We can train together." Her father most certainly wouldn't like it, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. As a matter of fact, he'd once voiced curiosity about what a battle between the Byakugan and Sharingan would be like. And though Hinata had no intention of sharing any findings she might or might not gather, she admitted to being slightly curious, too.

Coming across the kitchen, Sasuke propped himself against the counter only a couple of steps away and tilted his head in her direction. "I guess I'll take you up on it," he said. "And I promise I'll go easy on you."

Hinata frowned at the plate she'd been scrubbing. "'Go easy' on me?" she repeated. "Whatever makes you think such a thing is necessary?"

He looked surprised at the sudden note of anger in her tone. Holding up his hands, he said, "Whoa, take it easy. I didn't mean to offend you, Hyuuga."

"Good job." Hinata set the freshly rinsed plate in the dish drainer with a little more force than she'd originally intended. "I might not be a prodigy like my cousin, but I _am _perfectly capable of holding my own in a sparring match." Thank_ you very much!_

"I never _said_ you couldn't." Sasuke shook his head. "But if you like, I'll just wait until my team comes back."

No, she didn't _like_. Sasuke had challenged her, and Hinata didn't plan on backing down from it. "You did not _say_ I couldn't, but you certainly implied it." After all she'd done for Sasuke, did he really see her as so weak? After working so hard to prove herself, had it all been for naught, at least in the Uchiha's recovering eyes?

"I wasn't implying anything!" Something very close to a growl crept through Sasuke's teeth.

Hinata slapped the surface of the dishwater with her hand, sending droplets of water and soap suds flying everywhere. Sasuke made a sound of surprise and stepped away quickly, his arm, shoulder, and the side of his face wet and speckled with soap bubbles. "_I am not weak!_"

"I never said you were!" Now they were both very close to shouting. "I never even meant to _imply_ you were!"

It felt so good the first time, Hinata smacked the water again, sending an even bigger splash in Sasuke's direction. "As soon as those bandages come off, Uchiha," she said, mustering up every shred of strength she'd gained over the past few weeks, "you are going to _see_ just how strong I am!"

"You talk too much, Hyuuga." And with no further warning, Sasuke grabbed her arm and yanked her towards him so hard she bounced off his chest. Capturing her face in both his hands - one of them wet from where she'd splashed him - he leaned his head down, nose bumping against hers only briefly before his lips sealed over hers.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ I don't know why, but for some reason, the idea of Hinata repeatedly slapping dishwater (all those bubbles!) onto Sasuke is really funny. Every time I think of it I just can't help but giggle. This chapter was _so_ much fun to write, and I'm glad I finally get to share it with you all! So many exciting things happening, as well as some clues about things later in the story. Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you all again for the next update!

**Q & A:** One reviewer asked why Naruto came in through the window in the last chapter. In this particular universe, Sasuke lives in the apartment building next to Naruto's. Their buildings are separated by a narrow alley, and it's easy (especially for shinobi) to jump from one balcony across to the other. It's summer in Konoha, so they were sleeping with the windows open, and Naruto could hear what was going on in Sasuke's apartment, and he came to check on his teammate. I hope that cleared things up, and please don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions!


	9. Exposed

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _ArstiticAngel6_, _Shahar Mystral_, _xXYour DoomXx_, _miaandB_, _Hawkllama_, _CallMeSenseiKuchiki_,_ unknown90s_, _iivogelchen_, _RikuDai_, _Carrottuce_, _Breezy2319_, _Guest (1)_, _Mels_, _Renoa Heartilly_, _nuriiko_, _Guest (2)_, _Guest (3)_, _Dani Stark_, _Kia-B_, _Guest (4)_, _Honeyee_, _Kibachow_, _Guest (5)_, _MuffinMan9223_, _Butlikeewlawlz_, _Guest (6)_, _Stacey . and . stars_, _shalei_, _Atykka_, _wolf-enzeru_, _oCloudNine_, _leiaah_, _LISA JONES_, _heor_, _Toadettegirl2012_, _Tamani_, _DisneyRBD_, _Ana_, _Arasia_, _kiss2lips_, _Starcakes_, _ZukiShi_, _dmerlos14_, _wow_, _rao hyuga 18_, and _DageRee_ for all your reviews! Over _forty? _Oh my gosh, you blow my mind, thank you! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and alerts lists - this has been a really rough week for me, and every single new e-mail alert I've gotten has really helped. You all are some of the greatest people on the planet!

**Author's Notes:** I ... have no words. Seriously. The response I got to the last chapter just blew my mind. I was just so _shocked_ at the number of reviews I got. I've had a _really_ tough week, and you all have helped me bounce back tremendously with all your support and kind words. You've made me smile, and I've needed that so much. _Thank you thank you thank you all_. I appreciate all of you so very much, and I hope you enjoy this chapter, and that you all have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

* * *

***~Chapter IX~***

_~Exposed~_

* * *

He didn't really mean to kiss her.

He blamed it on the lack of sleep. And the chakra pills.

And she really _did_ talk too much. Kissing her seemed the easiest way to shut her up.

The only scenario in this situation Sasuke _hadn't_ anticipated was her reaction. He'd expected Hinata to haul back and smack him, or close off a few of his _tenketsu_ (particularly the ones more involved in certain male functions), or even try to Gentle Fist him into next week.

What he _hadn't_ expected was her to melt against him like she'd just gone completely boneless. Her hands - still wet and sudsy, he noted distantly - slid across his shoulders and into his hair, gripping like she expected the ground to fall out from beneath her suddenly.

It was a strange but not entirely unpleasant experience, kissing her like this. He couldn't see her face or eyes to gauge her reaction. But he could feel her skin beneath his fingers, so smooth and soft; the silky strands of her hair brushing the backs of his hands; the gentle, yielding curves of her pressed against him; and most tellingly, the way she responded to him by kissing him back. Hinata gasped, her mouth opening beneath his. A surprisingly strong, primal instinct rose up from deep inside him, roaring with victory and desire. Feeling oddly discomfited, Sasuke ruthlessly shoved it back down to the depths from which it had come. With great effort, he pulled away from her, so hard and fast she stumbled.

"What - was - _that_?" she gasped, as if out of breath.

Sasuke felt inordinately pleased he'd rattled her so. He shouldn't - particularly since he hadn't even _intended_ to kiss her in the first place - but his masculine pride definitely felt inflated. "What do you _think_ it was, Hyuuga?" he asked. His husky voice made it clear he hadn't been unaffected by that kiss, which still had his blood burning and his mind spinning.

He felt her move away, and heard her grab the edge of the counter, as if for balance. "Why did you kiss me?" Shock and consternation vibrated in her voice, an expected even if not necessarily welcome reaction. "_Why_?"

Why, indeed. It was a logical question, just one to which Sasuke didn't happen to have the answer. "I repeat: you talk too much." There. That should satisfy her, at least for now.

He heard her breathing in rapid, shallow pants as she took another stumbling step back from him. In a shaky voice she announced, "I-I'm going to bed - I mean to my room." Her footsteps pattered quickly across the kitchen floor, giving him a wide berth as though expecting him to grab for her again; then the main room; then the hall. Finally came the sound of her bedroom door shutting with a firm, emphatic _click_.

The wet patches on Sasuke's hair and shirt, cold against his heated skin, reminded him she had been doing dishes when all this happened. Feeling his way to the sink, he carefully plunged his hands into the water, relieved to find only a plate and two cups left to wash. He completed them quickly and found empty spots in the dish drainer for them, then let the water out of the sink.

For a moment he stood there, seriously considering turning on the cold water tap and plunging his head beneath it. If it weren't for the bandages swathing his head, he might have. But with a sigh, he left the kitchen and padded down the hall to his own room, uncomfortably aware of the exact moment he passed by Hinata's.

He closed the door behind himself and stripped off his shirt, tossing it to the corner with the ease of long practice. Despite the wet patches on his skin, not to mention his hair, he disdained getting a towel. Going to the window, he threw it open and stuck his head out, inhaling the heavy, humid night air. If he wasn't mistaken, it was going to storm.

How appropriate. A little thunder and lightning would be a nice touch, considering the storm raging inside him.

Sasuke braced his hands against the sill, allowing his head to hang. The storm's precursor of strong wind blew the dark wings of his hair against his face. The chill felt good, and he tilted his head so he could feel the wind a little better against his face.

This was _not_ part of the plan. When he'd made the decision a long time ago to listen to Kakashi-sensei and stay in Konoha instead of taking the Sound Ninja Four up on their offer to join Orochimaru's ranks, he'd formulated a firm plan in his head. He would remain with his team, in his home village, and train harder than anyone ever had before. He allowed Naruto to push him, to challenge him, knowing the annoyance was worth it because it made him stronger. The hyperactive blond was the closest thing to a real rival Sasuke had on hand, though the knucklehead didn't hold a candle to what he would have to beat when he came face-to-face with Itachi.

Though Sasuke remained on Team Kakashi, he'd been careful about his attachments. Getting too close to anyone would complicate things, he knew, so he held Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi - as well as the other members of the Konoha 12 - at arm's length. He didn't form close friendships. Rivalries of varying degrees, yes, because they pushed him, challenged him. But _not_ friendships, and _certainly_ not relationships.

Fangirls were everywhere Sasuke turned, always begging him to date them, each one convinced _she_ was the one to break through his focused reserve. He'd ignored every single one of them, sickened by their cloying perfume, and frilly clothes, and leeching attitudes. The thought of romance had been so far from his mind, it had never even _entered_ it when he laid out the course for the rest of his life.

And now Hyuuga Hinata was very much a presence in his life he couldn't ignore. Even though he very desperately wanted to, he couldn't deny his attraction to her. He barely remembered what she looked like, even! The fuzzy glimpse he'd gotten earlier during the candle test, combined with indistinct memories of past glancing encounters, had given him a vague idea, with her pale skin and blue-black hair and baggy clothes. But he couldn't bring to mind specifics, like the exact shade of her eyes, or the shape of her mouth, or if her nose tilted up a little at the end or not.

And yet he was undeniably, _unbelievably_, attracted to her. Her constant presence in his life these last several weeks, at first something he thought of as a bane, had turned into something of a blessing. She had so quietly insinuated herself into his life, it nearly panicked him when he realized he couldn't really remember what his life was like when she _wasn't_ there.

"No, no, _no_," Sasuke groaned. He pulled his head back in when the first raindrop splashed against the back of his neck, and slammed the window shut so hard the glass rattled in its frame. Clenching his teeth, he paced the tight confines of his room like a restless panther, feeling captured, caged.

He tore his hands through his hair, shaken to realize as long as Hinata was his keeper, he didn't so much mind it.

Relationships - _complicated_ - things. If Sasuke let Hinata get too close to him, he might decide to put off going after Itachi. Avenging his clan's murders might take a backseat to building a life with her, living out his love for her. _I can't let that happen!_

Itachi had to pay. He had to die. Sasuke had to end his brother's life with his own hand. There were no two ways around that, and he'd always known it.

But before, there had never been anything to tempt him from his goal. His mission, his desire, had always been so _clear_ in his mind, in his heart. He _would_ keep training; he _would_ grow stronger; he _would_ find Itachi; and he _would_ end him.

So simple.

And now it - _wasn't_.

Letting out a blistering curse, Sasuke slammed his fist down on his mattress, not wanting to make too much noise and bring Hinata running again. The _last_ thing he needed was her that close to him, in his _bedroom_ of all places, especially after what happened earlier.

Though Sasuke always intended to be stronger than Itachi, so he could defeat his brother, he knew there was a chance it could go the other way. If Itachi won and Sasuke died, the younger could take comfort in the fact he really wasn't leaving that much behind in this life. Sure, he figured he would _kind of_ miss Konoha in the afterlife, and his team, and even the stupid rivalry with Naruto. But nothing in his home village really owned his heart, so leaving it wouldn't be that terrible. Except, of course, for the bitter knowledge of his failure to accomplish what he'd set out to do.

But now it was different. Now, if he were to lose to Itachi, he would leave behind a whole lot more. He wouldn't just lose his life, he'd lose his heart.

If only he could just tear the stupid thing out of his chest now and put it somewhere safe. Hide it, so it and its _ridiculous_ feelings wouldn't get in the way of his mission.

Sasuke sank down on the edge of his bed, thrusting his hands into his hair as he rested his elbows on his knees. He felt exhausted beyond measure, though absolutely certain he would have no problems staying awake the whole night.

He had far too much to think about.

* * *

Hinata tumbled face-first onto her bed, wondering if her face was as red as it felt.

_He kissed me!_

She'd never been kissed before. Oh, she'd dreamed about it, as all little (and bigger) girls were wont to do. She had a little book of fairytales her mother had given her one year for her birthday. She used to spend hours looking through it, dreaming of her own prince and true love's kiss. When she was younger, her prince's features had been somewhat vague. After she entered the Academy, his face had been whiskered, his hair blond, and his eyes a bright electric blue. Though her hours of daydreaming had been shortened to mere minutes here and there - save for at night in her dreams - she still often wondered what her first kiss would be like.

Never, even in her wildest nightmares, had she _ever_ thought her first kiss would come from Uchiha Sasuke.

What had he been _thinking_? _Had_ he been thinking?

Groaning, Hinata rolled onto her back and covered her face with her hands. Thunder rumbled far in the distance, the perfect backdrop for the emotions churning around inside her.

_He kissed me._

Her heart fluttered.

_He _kissed _me!_

Her stomach tightened, twisting itself in knots.

_Uchiha Sasuke kissed _me_!_

Reaching up, Hinata grabbed her pillow and dragged it over her face.

_And worse than that, I kissed him back!_

After all these years watching Uzumaki Naruto from afar, wishing and dreaming and hoping, she felt kind of like the cliff backing Konoha had fallen out from beneath her.

Now what was she going to do?

Withdrawing her head from beneath the pillow, Hinata rested upon it and rolled onto her side so she could look out the window. Lightning briefly brightened the sky, and a few seconds later thunder grumbled, closer than the last. The wind teased the blinds, which she'd pulled up to let more air in, but she didn't feel like getting up to close the window and put them down.

Her mind whirled with questions. Did Sasuke _like_ her? Did she _like_ him?

Was she really ready to give up her dreams of being with Naruto, the epitome of everything she'd always wanted?

The two men were absolutely nothing alike. Naruto was like sunshine, Sasuke the black of night. Whereas the former was usually cheerful, the latter always seemed intense, almost angry. Even in their limited contact before the current situation, she'd sensed the darkness in Sasuke, as obvious if in more subtle ways as the light in Naruto.

So it appeared she had a decision to make. Though she'd been clinging to her dreams for so long, since childhood, even she had noticed Naruto never really seemed to pay attention to her - not in _that_ way. He treated her well, of course, but no differently than he did any of his friends. He had inspired her in so many ways, made her rethink the way she saw the world and felt about her own strengths and weaknesses. For so long she'd yearned for Naruto's attention, for his love, yet never before had it felt farther away.

But Sasuke was _here_, now. He'd shown interest in her. Granted, ordinarily he was sullen and quiet and angry, but he'd never been mean to her. In fact, in his own strange sort of way, he'd treated her like a gentleman would a lady. He'd paid attention to her, seemed to sense her moods, had complimented her food and thanked her for working on healing his eyes.

He'd _seen _her, while blind, in ways Naruto never had. As though with the accuracy of his Sharingan, he'd reached deep within her and pulled out the part of her she tended to hide away from the world. He challenged her, needled her, got under her skin and drew out even more strength than she thought she had.

Perhaps, without even realizing it, she'd revealed more of herself to Sasuke than she ever meant to do. Around Naruto, she always felt tongue-tied and nervous, never sure what to do or say. But with Sasuke, who was blunt and expected the same thing from those with whom he associated, it seemed _easier_ to talk to him. Her interactions with him felt more natural, easier, than with anyone else. Now she felt more comfortable talking to him, and she found herself stating her opinions on things and being more assertive in defending than she would ever have done at home, or anywhere else.

Lifting her hand from where it lay limply across her stomach, Hinata pressed her fingertips to her lips. When Sasuke kissed her, she felt her heart pound, her mind go blank, her body become weightless. It felt almost like she was flying.

His hands had cupped her face so perfectly, as if carefully crafted to do so. His hair had felt so soft beneath her fingers, his shoulders and arms so strong against her arms. She'd felt his heart race exactly in time with hers, while the lean, lithe strength of him felt somehow _right_ pressed up against her soft, feminine curves.

Even now, her skin still felt overheated, her lips tingly, her stomach fluttery.

How could one kiss make her feel so completely _alive_?

The first few raindrops pattered against the balcony. Hinata forced herself off the bed so she could close the window. Resting her head against the glass, she watched as the storm swept into Konoha, all flashing lightning, crashing thunder, roaring wind, and lashing rain. It was so wild, exciting, electric.

Just like Sasuke's kiss.

She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. If she embraced what she might have with Sasuke, she would have to let go of her dreams of Naruto.

Did she dare?

Did she want to?

She didn't know.

But she had a feeling it wouldn't be long at all before she found out.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Seriously, you all are _beyond_ incredible. This past week has been really rough, and you all have helped me keep smiling with all your really kind reviews. I've had sweet ones, funny ones, and really heart-touching ones, and I have appreciated every single one of them and all your support. You all are a group of really awesome people, and I'm touched that you've decided to devote your time to reading my story. Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed his chapter, that you all have a safe and happy Fourth of July, and I hope to see you all again for the next update!

**Q & A:** One reviewer voiced some confusion about the timeline of this story. My apologies if I haven't made it clear in the story, but to just to clarify, here you go: It takes place in Shippuden-era, but does _not_ include the Fourth (not-so) Great Shinobi War. The members of teams Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma are all around 18. Neji, Tenten, and Lee are 19. Sasuke never left the village with the Sound Ninja Four (as stated in the above chapter), so there was no Retrieve Sasuke mission or anything like that. Hope that helps clear things up, and if you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask!


	10. Truth

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _MuffinMan9223_, _Shahar Mystral_, _ariannaisgone_, _Guest (1)_, _xXYour DoomXx_, _CallMeSenseiKuchiki_, _Honeyee_, _Kia-B_, _Breezy2319_, _wolf-enzeru_,_ Guest (2)_, _unknown90s_, _April_, _farahb_, _orangemystery_, _miaandB_, _patheticnemesis_, _nuriiko_, _Kibachow_, _emired_, _10ShizukaYuukiMistress10_, _rao hyuga 18_, _Toadettegirl2012_, _Tamani_, _shalei_, _ZukiShi_, and _Saki-Hime_ for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Note:** And a common question from you all is finally answered in this chapter: what happened to Sasuke to make him blind, and how was Naruto involved? I've been looking forward to posting this chapter so I could finally answer your questions. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

***~Chapter X~***

_~Truth~_

* * *

The silence over the breakfast table stretched tensely between them: tight as a rubber band, sharp as the blade of a kunai, unbreakable as a chakra thread.

Hinata felt sure if one of them didn't say _something_, _anything_, to the other soon, she was going to go crazy. She felt sure her father - and the rest of her clan, for that matter - would very much disapprove of that happening.

Of course, after the night she'd just spent reliving - and trying _not_ to relive - that kiss, she felt on the thin edge of sanity anyway.

Guiltily glad Sasuke's eyes were still swathed in bandages, Hinata stole glances at him from under droopy eyelids as they ate. He looked as though he'd swallowed a lemon sometime during the night, his attention focused grimly on his food, the darkness in his nature very evident. Had he also had a restless night, distubed by the intensity of what had passed between them, and was trying not to show it?

She took a listless bite of her cinnamon roll, finding not even that able to bolster her mood. Now if it were Naruto sitting across the table from her, she thought, turning to the old game she played with herself to lift her spirits: And froze in shock when the expected emotional response did not come. No glow warmed her heart. In fact, the most she felt was a distant fondness. She sneaked another peek at the man who actually did share the table with her, and felt an immediate attraction smoldering deep within her. Putting down her half-eaten roll, she gripped her sticky fingers together in her lap. How could one kiss - just _one kiss_ - have turned her world so completely upside down? Unconsciously she relaxed her hands enough to start tapping the ends of her index fingers together. Her infatuation with the self-proclaimed future Hokage - and she saw clearly now that was all it had ever been - was over. The pull she felt for Sasuke, however, was very real, very strong, very much _there_.

Which led her to wonder: Did he not feel the tension, as palpable as a living creature, between them now? Or had she merely traded one unrequited love (though could she really classify what she'd thought she'd felt for Naruto as genuine "love"?) for another, if more painfully real, one?

For the first time, Hinata considered the situation in a different light. Perhaps _she_ had been the only one to feel anything with that _kiss_. Maybe she was letting her emotions get away from her, and Sasuke was just feeling awkward this morning because she was treating him differently.

But would he have kissed her if he didn't feel - at least even a _teeny_ bit - attracted to her?

Hinata didn't know, and had no idea how to find out without asking him. And that was something she _really_ didn't want to do. Partly because she was afraid of the answer. And partly because it was just a really, _really_ awkward question to ask.

Sasuke cleared his throat so loudly and suddenly Hinata jumped in surprise and fright. Her knee impacted the table, rattling its contents, further startling her. She just barely kept herself from falling off her cushion, an embarassing consequence she was glad Sasuke couldn't have seen, if she had.

"We doing therapy this morning?" He took another bite of his rice, his sullen expression unchanged.

"_H-Hai_." Hinata gulped down half her tea as she tried to regain her ability to speak in full, coherent sentences. "After b-breakfast." _So much for complete sentences. At least it was coherent._

He grunted acknowledgement and went back to his food. Hinata stared down at her own barely-touched plate and wondered if it would be acceptable behavior to slink back to her room, tail between her legs. Since that meant he'd have to clear the table and do the dishes himself, she decided it wasn't the best idea.

So she stayed, picking at her food until Sasuke finished. Then Hinata cleared the table and did the dishes, lingering over the chores until she had no further excuse for not going out to the main room to meet Sasuke.

_Why can't he just say something about last night?_ Hinata wondered. _Why is he pretending it didn't happen? I know he's not really an emotional sort of person, but really, is he such an ice block he didn't feel _anything_ during that kiss?_

As was becoming the norm, it seemed, they descended to the basement in silence. Sasuke sat stiffly on his cushion, looking like a very lifelike stone statue. He didn't speak or move as she unwound his bandages, only the sound of his breathing indicating any sort of life in him.

Hinata concentrated on Sasuke's therapy for a few minutes as the silence continued to stretch between them. He even _felt_ like a slab of rock beneath her fingers, tense and cold.

At last, she couldn't take it any more. "What happened?" she blurted.

She felt one of Sasuke's eyebrows twitch upwards. "What do you mean?" he asked, tone casual, on the verge of sounding bored.

Biting her tongue against the urge to scream, Hinata took a deep breath before speaking again. "I mean-" she chickened out "-your eyes. If you don't mind my asking, how _did_ this happen?"

Some of the tension eased out of him, which surprised Hinata. She would have thought her question would have prompted the opposite reaction. "You mean you didn't read a report or anything?"

"No." Lady Tsunade had only given Hinata the nature of Sasuke's injuries, not the details of how he'd obtained them. "Lady Tsunade didn't tell me, and I didn't ask." She knew, at least at the time, she was only meant to heal his eyes. But now, after all that had happened, she wanted more than that. She wanted to heal him emotionally and mentally, too.

Lady Tsunade had warned her not to get involved. But how could she not?

"Hn." Sasuke sat silently for a minute, as if gathering his thoughts. "I suppose," he said at last, grudgingly, "since you're going to all the trouble of healing my eyes, you deserve to know."

* * *

_Their mission was simple, a B-rank to Tea Country. It was usually a peaceful place, but the feudal lord had sent a message to Lady Tsunade about rogue ninja activity in the area. She'd dispatched Team Kakashi to investigate and take care of the problem in any way Kakashi saw fit._

_The team had barely passed the border when they ran into the _ronin _in question. There were seven in total, all wearing headbands from different villages, with the distinctive slash through each indentifier. Upon being attacked, Team Kakashi went into action, working together like the well-trained comrades they were._

_Until Naruto decided to take the lead and play hero._

_Sending in several shadow clones as a distraction, the original had charged into battle with his usual headlong fight-first-think-later (if at all) gusto, trying to take on three _ronin_ at once. Even with his improved battle skills, learned from Jiraiya with later refinement by Kakashi, it soon became clear he was very outmatched._

_Kakashi, battling with the leader and what seemed to be his right-hand-woman, had things well in hand. Sakura was busy turning her opponent into a bloody, begging pulp, and it hadn't taken long for Sasuke to dispatch the water-style user he'd been fighting. Within the space of a comprehensive glance, he saw two of his teammates holding their own - and one very close to being defeated._

_He'd joined Naruto, peeling off one of the three _ronin_, who looked to be the strongest of the three. With the balance tipped, the hyperactive blond created a couple more clones and got things on his end evened out again._

_Sasuke, on the other hand, faced a truly tricky opponent. Another fire style user, the _ronin_ was fast, throwing a combination of fire jutsu and steel weapons at the Uchiha. He'd not been so challenged in quite a while, and he had his hands full dodging attacks while interspersing as many of his own as he could launch._

_It had all happened in a life-changing instant. Naruto's remaining opponent neatly drove him back into a trap: right into the oncoming fire style attack from Sasuke's opponent, who turned at the last second to aim at the Uzumaki._

_He reacted on sheer instinct, without thinking or considering the consequences. Grabbing Naruto's sleeve, he thrust his teammate out of the way, trying to twist his own body so the attack would miss him, too. But he hadn't moved far enough quickly enough, as the searing heat and blinding flash of light across his eyes attested._

Sasuke forced his fists to relax. Naruto had fallen for the trap set up for him, but he couldn't completely blame his teammate. Sasuke hadn't seen it, either - and _he_ had the benefit of his Sharingan.

"I suppose I got out of the way just enough that the effects weren't permanent," Sasuke concluded. "But still, it was enough."

At some point during Sasuke's narrative, Hinata had finished the therapy session without him realizing it. He had to fight the urge to open his eyes, since she hadn't said he could or should. Now he was this close to having his sight back, he didn't want to do _anything_ to jeopardize it.

Hinata made a soft noise deep in her throat, what sounded like a cross between a moan and a sigh. Sasuke tensed, wondering what she was thinking. Would she feel sympathetic? He hoped not. Sympathy was the last thing in the world he wanted, especially from her.

Especially since he kissed her that way last night. What _had_ he been thinking? He was beginning to wonder if he had been _at all_.

"Three days," she said suddenly.

"What?" He'd been expecting her to say one of many things, but not_ that_, which didn't even make sense.

"In three more days of therapy, we'll leave the bandages off." There was a distinct smile in her voice when she spoke this time, her cheerfulness restored.

Now her seemingly random comment made sense. She was reassuring him, letting him know that though the damage had seemed horrific and irreversible at the time, it wouldn't be long at all until he was better. It was just the thing he needed to hear after sharing his story.

All he had to do was make it three more days. Then, just maybe, he could _finally_ get a good night's sleep. Any time he tried now, he could still feel the terrible, searing heat of those flames, and see that blinding flash of light. But once his eyes were better, he would hopefully be able to sleep without worrying about negative side effects, as long as he didn't try to activate his Sharingan.

As she replaced the guaze pads and wound the bandages around his head again, Sasuke cleared his throat. "I appreciate your doing this for me."

Hinata's gentle fingers stilled against his temple, and he heard her draw in a sharp, surprised breath. "It's nothing," she said at length. Slowly, she tied off the bandages before going on. "I had an ability that would help you. It would have been very unfair and selfish of me not to try, at the very least."

Perhaps that's what drew Sasuke to Hinata the most, her selflessness. Not once had he heard her complain about anything she did for him. He knew using the Healing Touch made her tired - he could hear it in her voice when she spoke, in the rhythm of her footsteps, how much slower she moved doing everything else throughout the rest of the day. But never once did she complain or blame him, which was different and unexpected. He wasn't sure he knew a single other person who would do so much without at least complaining a little.

"I feel like I owe you something, some sort of compensation." Even though he was the sole heir of the Uchiha clan fortune, and made a tidy salary as a ninja, he had a feeling she didn't want money. As the Hyuuga heiress, she had plenty of that. So what else would she want?

And would he be able to give it?

"That's not why I'm doing this," Hinata replied promptly, sounding vaguely insulted.

"So why _are_ you doing it?" Sasuke asked. "Don't tell me it's simply out of the goodness of your heart?" He hated the sarcasm which crept uninvited into his tone at the question.

The sharp rustle of clothing and rush of air across his face let him know Hinata had shot to her feet abruptly. "And what if it is?" she challenged. Her voice sounded stronger than he'd heard it to date. "Am I to lie, then? I will not do that. It is entirely up to you whether you believe me or not." Her tone made it clear she felt he would lean toward _not_.

Had it been anyone else, he might have. But he'd had a lot of time to consider the situation, and to be honest, he couldn't think of a single possible motive for her to do it _other_ than out of the goodness of her heart. She was too guileless to have done it just to get close to him, as other women might have. She already had plenty of money, so it wasn't for that reason, either. And really, what other reasons were there?

Reaching out, he managed to catch her wrist before she could get away. Tugging sharply but not painfully, he pulled her back down onto her cushion, where she landed with a squeak. "Whether you're doing it for that reason or not, I don't like being in someone's debt. I feel like I owe you a favor now, and I want to do something tangible to pay it back. So what do you want?" Surely there had to be _something_ this girl wanted, even if it was just as simple as a box of pocky from the corner market.

"_Ano_..." Her hand twitched against his. He let go of her wrist since he was pretty sure she was going to stay put this time.

The reaction made him think it was something more along the lines of flowers-chocolates-and-candlelight. He was _not_ that kind of man. Despite his desire to get out of her debt, he wasn't so desperate he'd do that sort of thing. "What is it?" he asked impatiently.

"Really," she whispered, voice low and slightly agonized. "I don't want _anything_."

Impossible. Unfathomable. Beyond comprehension. "Nothing? At all? No chocolate, no flowers, no money? No night on the town, not even something as simple as a bowl of ramen?"

"No." He felt pretty sure she was shaking her head pretty hard right about then. "Can't you just accept it as a simple _gift_?"

Resisting the urge to slap his palm over his face in frustration, Sasuke sighed. "You don't have to tell me now. Think about it a little while, all right? There must be something, even if you don't know what it is yet. We have three more therapy sessions before you move out, so you've got time to give it some consideration." He got to his feet, more than ready for this strange conversation to be _over_.

It was, however, he reflected, better than what they _could_ have been discussing.

"I won't change my mind," Hinata told him as they ascended the steps back up to his flat.

_Yeah_, Sasuke thought sourly. _That's just what I'm afraid of, too._

* * *

Honestly, the nerve of him!

Hinata resisted the urge to slam the pan down on the stove, feeling tired and cranky and more than a little insulted. For Sasuke even to _suggest_ she was treating him for some sort of payment was beyond the pale. Like she'd told him, he had a problem, she had the solution, and wasn't it the _logical_, not to mention nice, thing to do? Maybe she should have mentioned the fact she was basically assigned to do it by Lady Tsunade. Maybe he'd have accepted _that_.

Only three more therapy sessions, and then she could move back home. Hinata would make her return triumphantly, knowing she'd done a good job, and for no other reason than because it was the right thing to do. _Regardless_ of what Uchiha Sasuke thought.

Guilt pricked sharply at Hinata. She sighed, bowing her head over the carrots she was busy washing in the sink. Okay, so she wasn't doing it _just_ out of the goodness of her heart, and darn him, he'd picked up on that hesitancy. But how could she explain to Sasuke the fact she was desperate for _approval_, to prove she wasn't useless and weak? That she had talents; that even if they _didn't_ lie in the area of being a ninja, she had a gift and was quite skilled in using it?

She _hadn't_ mentioned it because Sasuke couldn't give it to her, anyway. She wasn't looking for his approval, or even Lady Tsunade's. She wanted her father's approval, along with that of the elders of the Hyuuga clan. She wanted to prove to them - every single doubting one of them - she had what it took to be a good leader when Hiashi stepped down. Hinata knew perfectly well everyone thought Neji - despite his branch status - was a better choice for clan head. Even _she_ thought he was a better choice. And though she planned to make him one of her closest advisors, the main voice of the branch houses, she still felt a small spark of rebellion deep inside her at the thought of handing over complete control to him.

It was _her_ birthright. _Her_ duty. _Her_ responsibility. She knew, deep inside herself, she had what it took to do it, and do it right. Now all she had to do was prove it to everyone else.

Clenching her teeth, Hinata attacked the freshly cleaned vegetables laid out on the cutting board. Her knife flashed through them with surgical precision, neatly slicing each vegetable into the perfect size for stir fry. Though exhaustion pulled at her even more than usual, she kept going, determined she wouldn't be a quitter. She wouldn't skimp on dinner; she wouldn't go to bed early; and she _wouldn't_ give in to Sasuke's ridiculous demand that she ask him for some sort of compensation for what she'd done.

Sweeping the vegetables into a bowl, Hinata set to work on the chicken. Hating the feel of the raw, slimy meat against her fingers, she turned her thoughts to other things. It would feel good to return home: to sleep in her own bed, to roam the gardens with Neji discussing meditation techniques, to stay up late and talk with Hanabi simply because it had been a good day.

She'd missed her home and her family more than she'd realized. Knowing the prickle at the back of her eyes had nothing to do with the onions she'd just chopped, she sniffed and kept at the chicken. _Only three more days_. And then she'd only have to see Sasuke for a couple hours every day for therapy on his Sharingan until it was fully functional again.

The memory of their kiss the night before seared through her mind, and Hinata jumped. Slamming down the knife before she cut herself, she furiously scrubbed her hands in the sink, wishing she could as easily wash away the memories. Sasuke's hands had fit so perfectly around her face, his lips had been so warm, his strong body the perfect support...

_Stop it!_ Spinning to the stove, she flicked some moisture off her fingers into the wok, relishing the sizzle of the dancing droplets which let her know it was hot enough. After drying her hands, Hinata went to work on making the stir fry, keeping an eye on the rice steaming at the back of the stove.

What she _didn't_ want to admit was the fact she'd miss Sasuke when she left. She'd been in extremely close proximity to him so long now it would feel strange not waking up in the bed in the guest room. She knew she'd expect to see him around every corner, at least for a few days after she left, and the fact annoyed her.

She didn't want _anything_ from Uchiha Sasuke, let alone his company - which wasn't even that good, anyway!

_Yes, and you don't want another kiss, either. But you haven't done anything to safeguard your lips yet._

Growling deep in her throat, Hinata snatched up the bowl of vegetables and tossed them in with the nicely browned chicken. She agitated the wok over the heat as she stirred in the sauce she'd made earlier, folding her lips tightly, stubbornly. _There. Safeguarded enough for you?_ If only she could shut off her mind.

_Only three more days,_ she told herself firmly. _And then you can move out and pretend this never even happened._

If only she could convince her heart that was a good thing, she might be able to believe it.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Poor Sasuke. And poor Naruto. And things are awkward again... But it'll work itself out eventually. I've been looking forward to posting this chapter for a while now, so I could _finally_ answer your questions about how Sasuke went blind, and why Naruto feels guilty. Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you all again for next week's update!

**Q & A:** One reviewer said in a review they thought the romance aspect of this story was moving way too fast. I wanted to post an explanation of why that seems here. Even though there've only been ten chapters, and what feels like only a few days, several _weeks_ have in fact passed. These two people have spent nearly every waking hour of every single day in very close proximity to each other, and the attraction has very subtly been growing from the beginning. Granted, Sasuke's urge to kiss her _was_ spur of the moment, but there have been little signs here and there in the past chapters where his attraction to her has been growing, leading to that point. As far as Sasuke's thoughts in the last chapter, I wrote them that way for several reasons. One, Sasuke has repressed the part of himself dealing with attraction in general and love in particular for so long, when it finally does rear up, it's in quite a spectacular way. Two, if you'll notice, Sasuke thinks of her as _a little housewife_ - because she's been going about the flat doing things a normal housewife would do (laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc.). And his attraction to Hinata (perhaps not love _yet_, but definitely growing in that direction) is very strong - surprisingly strong - and it surprised even _him_ when his thoughts wandered down the marriage path. And, finally, he feels very insecure right now about himself - as a man and as a ninja - and he's concerned about having to face Itachi. Part of him is perhaps looking for an excuse, though he'd never accept it, to keep from doing it. I really hope this helped explain things, answer your questions, and ease your concern a bit. Thanks for reading, and for your well-thought out and written review!


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